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SERMONS 


BY    THE    LATE 


REV.  JOSEPH  S.  BUCKMINSTER, 


KOW    FIRST    PUBLISHED 


FROM  THE 


AUTHOR'S    MANUSCRIPTS. 


BOSTON. 
PUBLISHED    BY   CARTER    AND    HEN  DEE.. 

CORNER  OF  WASHINGTON  AND  SCHOOL  STREETS. 

1829. 


DISTRICT  OF  MASSACHUSETTS,  TO  WIT: 

District  Clerk's  Office. 
Be  it  remembered,  that  on  the  twentysecond  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1829,  in  the  fiftythird  year 
ol  the  Independence  of  the  United  Stales  of  America,  Carter  and  Ilendee,  of  the  said  district, 
have  deponed  in  this  ulhce   tlie  title  of  a   hook,  tiie  right  whereof  they  claim  as  proprie- 
tors, in  the  words  following,  to  wit: 

'  Sermons  by  the  late  Rev.  J.  S.  Buckminster,  now  first  published  from  the  Author's  Man- 
usct  ipts  ' 

[n  conformity  to  the  act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  entitled  '  An  act  for  the  en- 
couragement of  learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  maps,  charts,  and  books,  to  the  authors 
and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  dining  tlie  times  therein  mentioned;'  and  also  to  an  act, 
An  act  supplementary  to  an  act,  entitled,  "An  act  for  the  encouragement  of 
learning,  bj  securing  the  copies  of  maps,  charts,  and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors 
of  IU  ii  copies,  dining  the  times  therein  mentioned  ;  "  and  extending  the  benefits  thereof  to 
the  arts  of  designing,  engraving,  and  etching  historical  and  other  prints.' 

JNO.  W    DAVIS, 
Clerk  of  the  District,  of  Massachusetts. 


EXAMINER    PRESS — SCHOOL.    STREET. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


The  wish  has  been  often  expressed  by  the  friends  of  Mr 
Buckminster,  particularly  by  those  to  whom  his  sermons  were 
first  addressed,  that  a  further  selection  from  them  mighl  be 
printed.  The  volume  already  published  contains  many  of  his 
most  valued  sermons,  and  the  friends  by  whom  the  choice  was 
made,  faithfully  discharged  their  duty  to  the  reputation  of  Mr 
Buckminster  while  subjecting  it  to  the  severe  test  of  a  posthu- 
mous publication.  But  those  who  were  his  hearers  are  aware, 
that  many  of  his  sermons  remained  unpublished,  not  less  adapt- 
ed to  the  ends  of  religious  instruction,  than  those  contained  in 
the  first  volume. 

In  offering  to  the  public  a  further  selection,  the  friends  of 
Mr  Buckminster  are  therefore  confident  that  they  shall  make 
a  highly  useful  addition  to  the  stock  of  works  adapted  to  pro- 
mote the  best  influences  of  Christianity. 

Few  collections  of  sermons  have  been  so  favorably  received 
as  the  former  volume,  and  a  firm  persuasion  is  entertained  that 
the  additional  volume,  which  is  qow  presented  to  the  christian 
community,  will  prove  in  no  degree  less  acceptable. 


CONTENTS. 


SERMON  I. 


ON  THE  PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD. 

Romans,  xi.  36.     For  of  him,  and  through  him,  and  to  him,  are 
all  things 1 

SERMON  II. 

OUR  LOT  IN    LIFE  NOT  AT    OUR   OWN  DISPOSAL,    BUT  ORDERED 
BY    GOD. 

Proverbs,  xvi.  9.     A  man's  heart  deviseth  his  way ;  but  the  Lord 
directeth  his  steps. 26 

SERMON  III. 

ON  THE  EVIDENCES  OF  A  RETRIBUTION  FOR  SIN. 

Romans,  ii.  16.     In  the  day  when  God  shall  judge  the  secrets  of 
men  by  Jesus  Christ,  according  to  my  Gospel.         ...         43 

SERMON  IV. 

THE  DISCLOSURES  OF  THE  FUTURE  JUDGMENT. 

Romans,  ii.  16.     In  the  day  when  God  shall  judge  the  secrets  of 
men  by  Jesus  Christ,  according  to  my  Gospel.       ...        56 

SERMON  V. 

THE  FUTURE  STATE  OF  THE  JUST. 

1  Corinthians,  xiii.  10.     When  that  which  is  perfect  is  come,  that 
which  is  in  part  shall  be  done  away 68 


m  CONTENTS. 

SERMON  VI. 

SPIRITUAL  NATURE  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  CHRIST. 

John,  xviii.  36.     Jesus  answered  ;  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.     82 
SERMON  VII. 

MISAPPREHENSIONS  AS  TO  THE  NATURE  OF  RELIGION. 

Romans,  xiv.  17.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink ; 
but  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.         .        9G 

SERMON  VIII. 

RELIGIOUS  SERIOUSNESS. 

Matthew,  xxii.  5.     But  they  made  light  of  it,  and  went  their  way.  114 
SERMON  IX. 

GiiDS  PROVIDENCE  AS  SHOWN  IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  REVELATION. 

Acts,  xv.  18.  Known  unto  God  are  all  his  works,  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  world.  .         .  129 

SERMON  X. 

SOURCES  OF  IiNFIDELITV. 

Hebrews,  iii.  12.  Take  heed,  brethren,  lest  there  be  in  you  an 
evil  heart  of  unbelief. 142 

SERMON  XI. 

CONSISTENCY  IN  RELIGION. 

Matthew,  vi.  24.     No  man  can  serve  two  masters.  .         .         1G0 

SERMON  XII. 

THE  INADEQUACY  OF  THE  PREVAILING  CONCEPTIONS  AS  TO 
THE  EXTENT  OP  THE  DIVINE  LAW,  COMPARED  WITH  THE 
MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 

Psalms,  cxix.  96.     Thy  commandment  is  exceeding  broad.         .       17(i 
SERMON  XIII. 

THE  COMMON  MISTAKES   ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  HAPPINESS,  AND 
ITS  TRUE  SOURCES. 

Psalms,  iv.  <!.  There  be  many  that  say,  who  will  show  us  any  good?  202 


CONTENTS-  vii 

SERMON  XIV. 

THE  TEMPTATIONS  OF  THE  VOUNG. 

Matthew,  vi.  13.  Lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from 
evil 21S 

SERMON  XV. 

ERITY. 

1  Corinthians,  v.  8.  But  with  the  unleavened  bread  of  sincerity 
and  truth.  233 

SERMON  XVI. 

THi;  PECULIAR  BLESSINGS  OF  OUR  SOCIAL  CONDITION  AS  AMER- 
ICAN CITIZENS. 

Mark,  v.  19.  Go  home  to  thy  friends,  and  tell  them  how  great 
things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee 247 

SERMON  XVII. 

THE   PRACTICABLENESS  OF  THE   EXAMPLE  OP  OCR  SAVIOUR. 

Hebrews,  iii.  1.  Wherefore,  holy  brethren,  partakers  of  the  heav- 
enly calling,  consider  the  apostle  and  high  priest  of  our  profes- 
sion, Jesus  Christ 2G3 

SERMON  XVIII. 

ON  THE  FRIENDSHIP  OF  OUR  SAVIOUR  FOR  THE  APOSTLE  JOHN. 

John,  xiii.  23.  Now  there  was  leaning  on  Jesus'  bosom  one  of  his 
disciples,  whom  Jesus  loved. 280 

SERMON  XIX 

ON   SELF-EXAMINATION. 

A.    DISCOURSE    PREACHED    ON    THE    LAST    DAY    OF    THE    YEAR. 

Luke,  xvi.  2.     Give  an  account  of  thy  stewardship.  .         .        295 

SERMON  XX. 

SOI  IUT.5  OF  THE  COMMON   MISAPPREHENSIONS  01    GOD 

.  I.  21.     Thou  thoughtest  that  I  was  altogether  such  an  one 
thyself. 308 


viii  CONTENTS. 

SERMON  XXI. 

A  PURE  HEART  AND  BLAMELESS  LIFE  MOST  FAVORABLE  TO  THE 
UNDERSTANDING  OF  THE  GOSrEL. 

John,  vii.  17.     If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the 
doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  of  myself.        322 

SERMON  XXII. 

THE  DISAPPOINTMENTS  AND  UNCERTAINTIES  OF  LIFE. 

Ecclesiastes,  i.  14.     I   have  seen  all  the  works    that  are  done 
under  the  sun ;  and  behold  all  is  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit.     342 


SERMON   1 


ON  THE  PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD. 
Romans,  XL  36. 

FOR  OF  HIM,  AND  THROUGH  HIM,  AND  TO  HIM,  ARE  ALL  THINGS. 

There  is  no  habit  of  the  mind  which  gives  such 
uniform  and  equable  satisfaction,  as  that  which  re- 
fers every  event  in  the  course  of  our  own,  or  of 
others'  experience,  to  God,  the  only  proper  agent. 
In  a  world  so  full  as  this  of  sudden  and  strange  vi- 
cissitudes, it  is  of  great  importance  to  believe, 
steadfastly  and  cordially,  that  no  event  takes  place 
which  has  not  been  foreseen  ;  that  no  agent,  ani- 
mate or  inanimate,  operates  uncontrolled  ;  and 
that  all  the  wills  of  all  voluntary  beings  in  creation, 
are  subordinate  to  the  irresistible  volitions  of  the 
Ruler  of  creation.  It  is  common  enough  to  hear 
the  providence  of  God  generally  and  indistinctly 
acknowledged  in  extraordinary  events,  especially 
in  those  which  bear  with  them  an  impressive  char- 
acter of  moral  retribution.  But  this  is  very  difler- 
2 


10  SERMON  I. 

cnt  from  that  habitual,  enduring  persuasion  of  the 
unlimited  and  uninterrupted  providence  of  God 
in  everything  which  attends  the  Christian  in  sor- 
row and  in  joy,  in  security  and  in  danger,  in 
private  and  in  public,  in  our  business  and  our 
devotions,  in  youth  and  in  age,  in  time  and  in 
eternity.  It  might  be  supposed  that  the  man 
who  had  once  attained  to  the  grand  and  im- 
pressive conviction  that  there  is  a  God,  would 
never  forget  it ;  that  the  idea  would  intrude  itself 
upon  every  occasion,  and  be  associated  with  every 
event.  But  we  find,  alas!  that  it  is  not  so.  Ev- 
erything seems  an  object  of  attention,  but  the  being 
without  whose  aid  we  could  attend  to  nothing. 
Men  resort  to  a  thousand  inferior  and  secondary 
causes,  as  if  it  were  enough  to  admit  that  there  is 
one  superior  cause,  but  it  is  too  remote  or  too 
incomprehensible  to  arrest  their  regard.  To  ac- 
count for  what  we  know,  we  rest  upon  what  we 
can  see,  and  look  not  beyond  creatures  like 
ourselves,  while  God  sits  silently  and  sublimely 
at  the  head  of  all  things,  secretly  guiding  the  com- 
plicated motions  of  his  universe. 

The  belief  of  a  providence  is  of  little  value,  un- 
less it  become  a  habit  of  the  mind.  It  is  of  little 
consequence  that  we  see  God  in  the  whirlwind,  or 
in  the  awful  convulsions  of  nature,  if,  as  soon  as 
the  whirlwind  has  passed  over,  or  the  shaking 
earth  is  steadfast  again,  the  mighty  agent  is  forgot- 
ten. Our  religious  impressions  of  God's  power, 
are  intended  for  daily  use,  and    not  for  extreme 


ON  PROVIDENCE.  1  ] 

circumstances,  or  awful  and  interesting  situations. 
If  we  acknowledge  not  God  in  prosperity,  we  can- 
not trust  him  in  adversity  ;  if  we  see  him  not  in 
the  regular  occurrences  of  nature,  we  shall  be 
wakened  by  the  extraordinary,  only  to  a  sentiment 
of  indistinct  and  stupifying  fear. 

Still,  however,  there  are  periods  in  our  own 
lives,  and  in  the  affairs  of  the  world,  when  we 
pause  and  feel  uncertain  of  our  former  convictions. 
When  we  see  the  good  and  pious  defeated  in  all 
their  plans,  always  frustrated,  and  always  suffering ; 
the  vicious  triumphing  in  prosperity ;  the  unprin- 
cipled elevated  to  power;  the  infidel  boasting  him- 
self above  every  name  that  is  called  God,  shadows 
of  doubt  will  at  intervals  fly  across  the  most  pious 
mind,  and  sometimes  rest  long  upon  the  strongest 
understanding. 

It  is  to  revive,  and  not  to  generate  in  your  minds, 
a  belief  of  the  supreme  control  of  the  great  Dispo- 
ser of  events,  that  I  propose  now  to  give  you  the 
reasons  on  which  this  belief  of  God's  providence  is 
founded. 

The  general  idea  of  a  providence  is  so  clear  and 
so  common,  that  it  needs  not  to  be  explained. 
God,  we  acknowledge,  governs  the  universe.  In 
the  motions  of  the  inanimate  part  of  creation  his 
power  is  easily  acknowledged ;  for,  as  we  know  that 
nothing  can  move  itself,  we  are  ready  to  admit  the 
impulse  of  a  superior  agent.  But  we  see  not  so 
clearly  how  the  power  of  God  can  extend  to  the 
voluntary  acts  of  intelligent  beings.     Perhaps  this 


]2  SERMON  I. 

difficulty  will  be  sufficiently  removed  by  simply 
granting,  that,  as  far  as  God  has  given  to  any  class 
of  beings  the  power  of  governing  themselves,  so  far 
his  own  immediate  agency  is  withdrawn.  These, 
then,  he  governs  by  arranging  and  combining  the 
circumstances  in  which  these  beings  are  placed, 
and  by  so  overruling  and  controlling  their  deter- 
minations, that  they  shall  always,  directly  or  indi- 
rectly, advance  his  purposes,  and  accomplish  his  de- 
signs. It  is  easy  also  to  discern,  that  whatever 
power  has  the  unlimited  control  of  the  inanimate 
part  of  creation,  and  determines  the  situation  of  the 
material  world,  must  also  have  the  living  world 
equally  at  his  disposal ;  for  so  intimately  is  every 
part  of  nature,  animate,  inanimate,  and  rational, 
connected,  and  so  continually  dependent  is  man 
upon  the  influence  of  exterior  objects,  that  it  is  in- 
stantaneously felt,  that  whoever  has  the  govern- 
ment of  the  one,  possesses,  of  necessary  conse- 
quence, that  of  the  other. 

By  the  providence  of  God  I  understand,  that  all 
creatures,  animate  and  intelligent,  are  continued  in 
existence  by  his  power,  and  furnished  by  his  bounty 
with  the  means  of  preservation  ;  that  their  station 
in  the  scale  of  being  is  ordained  by  his  wisdom,  the 
period  of  their  lives  terminated  by  his  previous  ap- 
pointment, their  number  multiplied  or  diminished 
by  his  ordination,  and  their  circumstances,  in  any 
period  of  their  existence,  precisely  those  which  he 
determines  and  circumscribes.  By  the  providence 
of  God  I  mean,  that  not  one  in  the  vast  variety  of 


ON  PROVIDENCE.  13 

events  is  accidental  or  fortuitous ;  that  of  the 
continual  changes  in  mind  or  matter,  God  is  not 
ignorant,  even  for  a  moment ;  that  not  a  motion 
in  creation  takes  place  which  he  has  not  foreseen, 
or  for  which  he  has  not  provided,  or  to  which  he 
is  not  present;  that  the  will  of  every  agent  is  sub- 
ordinate to  his,  and  accomplishes  his  purposes  ; 
that  the  situation  of  every  particle  of  matter,  of 
every  insect,  bird,  beast,  man,  or  angel,  or  whatever 
other  existences  there  may  be  which  we  know  not, 
is,  at  every  moment  of  time,  precisely  that  which 
God  ordains,  and  nothing  else.  I  mean  that  the 
world,  natural  and  moral,  is  never  for  an  instant 
without  an  administration.  Never  is  the  Supreme 
Power  ignorant  or  inattentive,  never  inefficient, 
never  wavering.  Whatever  appears  to  resist  the 
will  of  God,  at  the  same  time  accomplishes  his 
purposes  ;  whatever  cooperates  with  his  will,  coop- 
erates not  without  his  knowledge,  his  direction, 
his  superintendence. 

Do  you  ask  me  whence  I  draw  these  conclu- 
sions? I  answer,  first,  from  the  very  nature  of  God. 
You  acknowledge  that  he  is  a  spirit.  But  what  is 
your  idea  of  a  spirit  ?  Is  it  not  of  something  in- 
corporeal, intelligent,  and  inherently  active  ?  Can 
you  imagine  an  intellectual  force  universally  dif- 
fused throughout  creation,  which  is  for  a  moment 
idle  or  unemployed  ?  Can  that  spirit  which  form- 
ed the  universe,  avoid  animating,  sustaining,  mov- 
ing, and  operating  upon  it?  I  cannot  conceive  of 
intellect  that  is  inactive.     It  must  be  ever  in  excr- 


14  SERMON  I. 

tion,  sustaining  existence,  producing  events,  form- 
ing purposes,  accomplishing  designs.  I  cannot 
conceive  a  more  unintelligible  or  unworthy  idea  of 
God,  than  to  suppose  that  he  remains  inactive  at 
the  head  of  creation,  creating  worlds,  and  leaving 
them  to  their  fate,  with  a  plenitude  of  power 
which  has  been  but  once  exerted,  with  an  unlim- 
ited intellect  never  exercised,  never  displayed. 

Again ;  the  necessary  omnipresence  of  God, 
proves  also  his  providence.  What !  is  he  present 
at  every  point  of  space,  and  knows  not  the  move- 
ments which  take  place  in  his  universe  ?  Imagine 
him  filling  all  nature  with  his  influence,  extending 
through  all  space,  moving  in  all  motion,  enduring 
through  all  duration,  animating  everything  that 
lives,  thinking  in  all  that  thinks,  acting  throughout 
innumerable  worlds  in  the  mutual  gravitation  which 
keeps  them  from  rushing  into  chaos,  and  can  you 
avoid  the  conclusion,  that  his  providence  extends, 
with  himself,  through  all  nature  ?  Consider  that 
he  perceives,  at  one  and  the  same  moment,  what- 
ever exists,  and  whatever  changes,  and  that,  at  one 
and  the  same  moment,  he  exerts  the  whole  of  his 
energy  throughout  the  immense  range  of  creation, 
and  can  you  for  an  instant  doubt  his  providence 
and  his  government  ?  Is  he  present  and  does  he 
not  act ;  or  is  he  present  and  does  he  not  instan- 
taneously perceive  ;  or  does  he  know,  and  is  his 
knowledge  useless  ;  does  he  act,  and  is  his  agency 
without  foresight  or  purpose  ?  No,  the  very  term 
providence,  includes  the  notion  of  foresight,  and 


ON  PROVIDENCE.  15 

may  be  illustrated   also   from  the  omniscience  of 
Deity,  another  necessary  attribute. 

It  may  be  difficult  to  give  you  a  clear  notion  of 
that  power  by  which  God  embraces  within  his  actu- 
al knowledge,  the  present,  the  past,  and  the  future. 
But  perhaps  your  conceptions  may  be  assisted  by 
recollecting  that  things  appear  past  or  present  to 
us,  in  consequence  of  the  continued  succession  of 
our  thoughts,  passing  one  at  a  time  through  our 
minds  ;  for  thus  only  we  get  the  idea  of  duration. 
But  since  in  the  intellect  of  God,  in  consequence  of 
its  infinite  diffusion  in  every  part  of  creation,  innu- 
merable ideas  must  exist  at  the  same  instant,  of  all 
that  happens  in  that  creation,  of  course  that  suc- 
cession of  individual  thoughts,  which  alone  furnishes 
us  with  the  idea  of  duration,  can  have  no  place  in 
the  divine  mind.  For,  if  we  can  suppose  two  ideas 
to  be  contemplated  at  the  same  precise  moment  in 
any  mind,  we  may  suppose  any  indefinite  number  ; 
the  idea  of  succession  is  lost.  Therefore  we  may 
conclude  that  what  to  us,  and  to  all  beings  with 
minds  like  ours,  appears  past,  or  present,  or  future, 
exists  simultaneously  in  the  divine  mind,  compre- 
hended in  one  glance,  present  at  one  and  the  same 
moment.  This  eternal  now,  includes  all  that  we 
call  endless  duration  ;  a  duration,  if  I  may  say  so, 
in  the  mind  of  God  always  instantaneous.  Hence 
he  comprehends,  at  the  same  moment,  the  origin, 
the  progress,  and  the  termination  of  every  event ; 
at  the  same  moment  the  meditated  plan,  the  pro- 
gress, and  the  developement  of  creation  ;  at  the 


]g  SERMON  I. 

same  moment,  every  motion  of  every  man's  will, 
whether  abortive  or  effectual ;  at  the  same  moment, 
the  birth,  life,  and  death  of  every  creature  now  liv- 
ing, or  that  has  ever  lived  ;  at  the  same  moment, 
are  present  to  his  mind  all  the  grand  eras  of  his- 
tory, the  most  interesting  periods  of  time,  the  most 
remotely  connected  events  of  the  past  and  of  the 
future.  The  fate  of  every  man  and  every  angel,  of 
every  country  and  every  world,  of  every  unorgan- 
ized atom,  and  every  organized  system,  is  discerned 
simultaneously  by  the  great  Omniscient,  through 
the  successive  periods  of  their  continuance.  And 
is  all  this  knowledge  without  purpose,  without 
wisdom,  without  design,  without  use  ?  It  cannot 
be  admitted.  From  the  very  nature,  then,  of  God, 
we  see  the  necessity  of  his  providence,  the  regu- 
larity and  universality  of  his  administration. 

II.  The  second  proof  of  the  government  of  God's 
providence  is  drawn  from  his  being  the  creator. 
Can  it  be  supposed,  that  he  who  made  the  universe, 
lost  all  interest  in  it  as  soon  as  the  act  of  creation 
had  passed  ?  Would  he  bestow  powers,  and  not  be 
curious  to  know  how  they  were  exercised  ?  Would 
he  adjust  a  stupendous  system,  and  not  wait  to  ob- 
serve its  operation  ?  Would  he  have  peopled  the 
world  with  intelligences,  and  have  taught  them  to 
know  that  they  had  a  celestial  father,  and  then 
have  left  them,  cast,  as  it  were,  upon  a  desolate 
island  in  the  boundless  ocean  of  the  universe,  to 
struggle  through  a  solitary  existence,  abandoned 
by  the  very  being  who  may  be  supposed  to  love 


ON  PROVIDENCE.  17 

them  the  most  tenderly,  because  they  were  the 
creatures  of  his  power  ?  Suppose  it  for  his  glory 
that  they  were  created  ;  is  it  not  as  much  for  his 
glory  to  sustain  and  control  them  ?  Suppose  they 
are  prepared  for  his  pleasure  ;  and  is  his  pleasure 
exhausted  at  the  first  view  of  creation  ?  Did  he 
bring  the  world  and  its  inhabitants  into  existence 
from  a  principle  of  benevolence  ?  Suppose  this, 
and  it  is  the  only  rational  hypothesis,  and  the  con- 
clusion is  irresistible,  that  benevolence  must  be 
equally  engaged  in  sustaining,  guiding,  guarding, 
and  perfecting  his  creation.  I  appeal  to  you,  ye 
fathers  and  mothers.  Did  your  interest  in  your 
children  cease  from  the  moment  that  they  were 
ushered  into  life  ?  Would  you  leave  them  from 
that  moment  to  their  fate  ?  I  appeal  to  that  inter- 
est which  you  take  in  their  growth,  their  fortunes, 
and  their  end,  an  interest  which  increases  with 
their  years,  and  their  improvement.  And  is  it  to 
be  supposed  that  a  care  like  this,  which  in  man  is 
esteemed  an  excellence,  is  not  to  be  found  in  the 
great  parent  of  mankind  ?  «  If  ye,  being  evil, 
know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to  your  children,'  is 
it  to  be  believed  that  God  has  left  the  world  un- 
guarded and  unobserved,  and  that  his  children 
are  born  and  die  he  knows  not  how,  and  cares  not 
when  ?  Where  is  the  architect  who  would  leave  a 
nice  and  curious  machine,  which  was  acknowledged 
to  be  an  illustrious  monument  of  his  skill,  to  fall 
into  disuse  and  decay,  in  consequence  of  his  neg- 
lect ?  And  has  God,  the  great  mechanician,  left  the 


]8  SERMON  I. 

system  which  he  has  so  curiously  composed,  to  the 
revolutions  of  unnumbered  ages,  undirected  by 
one  who  can  understand  its  complicated  motions, 
preserve  in  place  its  innumerable  parts,  restore  its 
irregularities,  and  guide  its  movements  to  the  grand 
and  glorious  purpose  for  which  alone  it  was  con- 
structed ? 

III.  As  I  am  adducing  reasons  rather  than  ap- 
pealing to  testimony,  it  is  not  my  design  to  bring 
forward  the  direct  assertions  of  scripture  in  favor 
of  the  doctrine  of  this  discourse.  But  I  cannot 
refuse  myself  this  remark,  that  the  single  circum- 
stance that  a  revelation  has  ever  been  made  to 
mankind,  is  an  irresistible  demonstration  of  a 
providence,  whatever  the  character,  the  design, 
the  reception,  or  the  fate  of  that  revelation  may 
be.  It  proves  that  the  affairs  of  men  are  not 
overlooked,  that  God  sometimes  discerns  the  be- 
nevolent propriety  of  immediately  interposing  in 
;he  course  of  events  ;  that  the  progress  of  man's 
character  and  improvement  is  not  so  unalterably 
fixed  by  what  are  called  the  laws  of  nature,  that  it 
may  not  sometimes  be  accelerated  by  special  as- 
sistance ;  and  if  God's  love  has  ever  induced  him 
to  overstep  what  may  be  called  the  ordinary  limits 
of  his  bounty,  for  the  more  certain  and  rapid  feli- 
city of  his  creatures,  what  may  we  not  conclude 
respecting  the  final  issue  of  his  universal  govern- 
ment of  the  world  ? 

Again  ;  if  it  can  be  shown  that  a  single  prophecy 
has  been  fulfilled,  the  same  conclusion  is  irrcsist- 


ON  PROVIDENCE.  ]  (j 

iblc  ;  for  prediction  implies  the  most  intimate 
knowledge  of  characters  and  events,  with  all  their 
connexions,  bearings,  and  dependences  ;  and 
whether  the  prediction  is  made  merely  from  a 
foresight  of  the  event,  or  whether  the  event  is 
afterwards  determined  and  the  circumstances  ar- 
ranged to  accomplish  the  prediction,  the  conclu- 
sion is  the  same.  Look  then,  I  pray  you,  at  the 
series  of  prophecies  which  the  scriptures  contain, 
and  tell  me,  can  you  find  nothing  there  which  has 
been  accomplished,  nay,  nothing  which  is  perhaps 
even  now  accomplishing  ? 

IV.  Lastly,  let  us  come  to  the  proof  from  fact. 
Look  around  upon  creation  and  observe  the  good 
order  of  the  universe  ;  powers  nicely  adjusted, 
systems  accurately  balanced,  worlds  rushing  un- 
disturbed with  astonishing  and  noiseless  rapidity 
through  fields  of  immeasurable  space,  where  noth- 
ing interferes,  nothing  stops,  but  all  is  inconceiva- 
bly vast  and  harmonious,  and  answer  me  what 
preserves  this  complex  wonder  of  a  world  ?  Is  it 
less  necessary  that  some  power  should  continue, 
than  that  some  power  should  have  established  it  ? 
Whence  the  regularity  of  summer  and  winter,  seed- 
time and  harvest  ?  Is  there  no  care  in  this  ? 
Whence  the  unfailing  succession  of  the  genera- 
tions of  men  ?  Whence  the  ordinary  regularity  of 
their  numbers,  the  progressive  perfection  of  the 
species,  the  prodigious  variety  of  the  individuals,  the 
curiously  accommodated  circumstances,  charac- 
ters, and  stations,  of  men  in  the  world  ?  Is  there 
no  providence  in  this  ? 


20  SERMON  I. 

But  it  is  not  in  great  operations  that  the  intelli- 
gence, and  consequently  the  providence  of  God  is 
to  be  most  clearly  discerned.  It  is  evident  in  a 
thousand  minute  and  accurate  adaptations  of  man's 
nature,  and  of  every  other  creature's  nature  to  his 
place  in  the  system. 

If  you  ask  why  the  birds  were  not  placed  in  the 
sea,  and  the  fishes  in  the  air,  I  can  give  no  answer 
but  such  is  the  ordination  of  their  Creator.  They 
were  made  for  the  element  in  which  they  live,  and 
you  may  say,  if  you  please,  that  it  was  chance  that 
produced  this  distribution,  and  believe  it  if  you 
can. 

But  the  most  easy  proof  of  the  providence  of 
God  in  the  visible  works  of  his  hands,  is  found,  I 
think,  in  the  power  of  foresight  and  anticipation 
with  which  man  is  endowed.  We  are  enabled  to 
look  forward  into  futurity,  to  provide  for  what  is 
to  come,  to  form  ardent  expectations,  and  cherish 
reasonable  hopes.  If  God  then  has  given  the 
power  to  a  rational  creature  to  make  provision 
beyond  the  present  moment,  does  it  not  prove 
irresistibly  that  the  bestower  of  this  faculty  and 
this  disposition,  possesses  them  in  perfection  him- 
self, that  he  knows,  and  is  interested  in  what  is  to 
come,  that  he  has  provided  beforehand  for  his 
creatures  ?  And  if  his  providence  extends  for  a 
single  day,  or  a  single  hour,  I  ask  why  does  it  not 
for  every  day  ?  why  not  for  eternity  ?  Is  there 
any  fallacy  in  this  conclusion  ? 

But  perhaps  the  proof  is  more  striking  in  the 


ON  PROVIDENCE.  21 

instincts  of  animals,  where  the  immediate  provi- 
sion of  Heaven  is  to  be  seen  without  the  aid  of 
any  intermediate  intelligence.  Whence  then  does 
the  ant  lay  up  in  summer,  her  winter's  food  ?  Do 
you  suppose  that  she  looks  forward  to  that  inclem- 
ent season?  Has  she  a  spirit  of  prophecy  ?  Or  does 
God  thus  provide  without  her  knowledge  for  her 
continued  support?  And  if  for  her — your  own 
hearts,  my  hearers,  will  draw  the  inference.  It 
has  been  justly  remarked  that  this  instinct  is  as 
indisputable  an  argument  for  divine  providence, 
as  if  God  by  miraculous  interposition  should  an- 
nually send  an  angel  to  lay  up  in  store  for  this 
industrious  people,  a  provision  for  their  future 
wants. 

I  should  delight,  my  hearers,  to  retrace  with  you 
the  history  of  the  world,  and  accumulate  with  you 
the  proofs  of  God's  providence.  I  should  delight 
to  follow  with  you  the  footsteps  of  a  Divinity  in 
the  mighty  revolutions  of  society,  to  show  you  the 
most  important  events  springing  from  the  most 
inconsiderable  causes,  and  the  ever  progressive 
march  of  human  affairs  defeating  the  predictions 
of  the  wisest  and  proving  a  great  Controller.  I 
would  show  you  good  arising  unexpectedly  from 
evil,  the  sure  melioration  of  the  world  following 
the  most  desperate  position  of  human  affairs,  and 
the  designs  of  providence  abundantly  developed. 
I  would  show  you  the  dissolution  of  the  mightiest 
empires  terminating  in  the  happiest  results;  wars, 
pestilence,  and  convulsions  forwarding  the  kindest 


22  SERMON   I. 

designs ;  the  knowledge  of  God  continually  pre- 
served and  continually  increasing  under  circum- 
stances in  human  estimation  the  most  unfavora- 
ble. Especially  might  I  dwell  upon  the  peculiar 
situation  of  the  Jews,  and  their  miraculous  dis- 
persion, with  the  knowledge  which  they  alone 
possessed  ;  the  fulness  of  the  time  in  which  the 
Messiah  was  born,  with  the  extraordinary  situation 
of  the  world,  exactly  what  it  should  be,  for  the 
best  dissemination  of  his  religion. 

Then,  if  more  proofs  were  wanting,  I  would  ap- 
peal to  every  individual's  life ;  and  the  history  of 
every  pious,  and  I  may  say,  of  every  impious  heart, 
would  testify  all  things  were  of  God. 

From  the  explanations  I  have  given,  and  from 
the  course  of  my  remarks,  it  must  have  appeared, 
that  there  is  no  foundation  for  the  usual  distinc- 
tion between  a  general  and  a  particular  provi- 
dence ;  for  so  intimate  are  the  mutual  dependen- 
ces of  animate  and  inanimate  creation,  that  no 
providence  can  be  general,  which  includes  not 
every  individual  being,  and  the  same  arguments 
which  prove  that  God  takes  notice  of  anything, 
prove  that  his  providence  extends  equally  to  all. 

It  shall  now  be  my  object  to  deduce  some  prac- 
tical reflections  from  this  most  interesting  subject. 

'  For  of  him,  and  through  him,  and  to  him  are 
all  things.'  How  grand  then  is  God  !  Christians, 
have  you  ever  contemplated  the  wonderful  mag- 
nificence of  this  controller  of  the  universe  ?  '  Hast 
thou  not  known,   hast  thou  not  heard,  that   the 


ON   PROVIDENCE.  23 

everlasting  God,  the  creator  of  the  ends  of  the 
earth,  fainteth  not,  nor  is  weary?'  The  human 
mind,  trying  to  form  a  conception  vast  enough  to 
embrace  the  peculiar  grandeur  of  God,  feels  the 
insufficiency  of  its  powers,  and  finds  astonished, 
how  narrow  is  its  boasted  capacity  !  We  find  that 
to  understand  his  excellence  by  a  single  act  of 
comprehension,  we  must  possess  a  mind  equal  to 
his  own.  I  say  then  again,  how  inexpressibly 
great  is  that  being  who  penetrates  at  once  the 
recesses,  and  circumscribes  within  himself  the 
boundless  ranges  of  creation ;  who  pierces  into 
the  profound  meditations  of  the  most  sublime  in- 
telligence above,  with  the  same  ease  that  he  dis- 
cerns the  wayward  projects  of  the  child  ;  who 
knows  equally  the  abortive  imaginations  and  the 
wisest  plans  of  every  creature  that  ever  has 
thought,  or  that  ever  will  think,  throughout  the 
realms  of  intellect.  How  trancendent  that  mind, 
to  which  all  other  minds  are  infinitely  inferior, 
from  the  lofty  seraph  that  stands  near  his  throne, 
down  to  the  poor  ideot  who  is  incapable  of  form- 
ing a  conception  of  his  Maker.  How  vast  that 
comprehension,  to  which  all  the  sciences  of  all 
the  ages  of  the  world,  are  not  less  simple,  nor  less 
intelligible,  than  the  first  proposition  of  the  infant's 
earliest  lesson.  How  wonderful  is  that  power, 
which  wields  with  equal  ease  the  mightiest,  and 
the  feeblest  agents  ;  directs  the  resistless  thunder- 
bolt, or  wafts  a  feather  through  the  air ;  bursts  out 
in  the  imprisoned  lava,  or  rests  on  the  peaceful 


24  SERMON  I. 

bosom  of  the  lake  ;  rides  on  the  rapid  whirlwind, 
or  whispers  in  the  evening  air.  Think,  I  pray 
you,  of  that  wisdom  which  conducts,  at  the  same 
moment,  the  innumerable  purposes  of  all  his  crea- 
tures, and  whose  own  grand  purpose  is  equally 
accomplished  by  the  failure  or  by  the  success  of 
all  the  plans  of  all  his  creatures.  Think  of  him 
under  whom  all  agents  operate,  because  by  him  all 
beings  exist.  Think  of  him  who  has  but  to  will 
it,  and  all  moving  nature  pauses  in  her  course, 
chaos  succeeds  to  the  harmony  of  innumerable 
spheres,  and  eternal  darkness  overwhelms  this 
universe  of  light.  Yet  in  the  midst  of  darkness 
his  throne  is  stable,  and  all  is  light  about  the  seat 
of  God.  '  Such  knowledge  is  too  wonderful  for 
us;  for  it  is  high,  we  cannot  attain  unto  it.' 

If  the  knowledge  of  God  is  thus  extensive  and 
minute,  and  his  power  so  irresistible,  surely  his 
favor,  my  friends,  must  be  of  infinite  importance 
to  every  creature  upon  earth.  Suppose  you  had 
secured  the  friendship  of  every  power  in  the  uni- 
verse, and  that  even  the  world  of  invisible  spirits 
waited  upon  your  orders  and  guarded  your  life  ; — 
leave  but  God  your  enemy,  and  what  is  the  worth 
of  your  security  ?  Let  him  be  but  your  enemy,  and 
what  power  on  earth  or  in  heaven  could  protect 
you  ?  But  on  the  contrary,  if  he  is  your  friend, 
you  have  nothing  to  fear.  The  hatred  of  man  is 
transitory,  the  love  of  God  is  eternal.  If  all  the 
elements  were  combined  against  you,  if  all  your 
plans  were  defeated,  your  sorrows  multiplied  with 


ON  PROVIDENCE.  25 

every  return  of  day,  and  the  calumny  of  every 
breath  in  creation  poured  upon  your  character,  if 
God  is  but  your  friend,  princes  shall  envy  you, 
worldly  greatness  shall  bow  to  yours,  the  rich  and 
mighty  shall  wish  to  change  with  you  their  lot,  and 
the  wicked  will  look  up  with  reverence  to  the  man 
whom  God  delighteth  to  honor.  Let  God  be  your 
friend,  and  the  dark  course  of  your  life  shall  ter- 
minate in  light,  your  integrity  shall  burst  out  at 
last  like  the  noonday,  and  the  light  of  God's  coun- 
tenance shall  rest  in  glory  on  your  head.  If  God 
is  your  friend,  all  things  are  yours,  whether  life  or 
death,  things  present  or  to  come,  time  and  eter- 
nity. 

My  friends,  would  to  God  it  were  as  easy  to 
persuade  you  to  a  temper  and  conduct  correspon- 
dent to  this  belief  in  God's  providence,  as  it  is  to 
persuade  you  of  it£  truth  !  Forget  not,  I  pray  you, 
that  in  this  great  being  we  live,  and  move,  and 
have  our  being  ;  nothing  befalls  us  which  he  does 
not  accomplish ;  nothing  befalls  us  which  he  can- 
not prevent.  He  is  everywhere  ;  above,  below,  a- 
round ;  nay,  more,  he  is  within  us.  He  knows  there- 
fore the  secrets  of  the  heart.  Love  him,  then,  for 
what  is  past ;  but,  whether  you  may  trust  him  or 
fear  him  for  what  is  to  come,  God  only  knoweth ! 


SERMON  II. 


OUR  LOT  IN  LIFE  NOT  AT  OUR  OWN  DISPOSAL,  BUT  ORDERED 
BY  GOD. 


Proverbs,  XVI.  9. 

A  man's  heart  deviseth  his  way;   but  the  lord  directeth 

HIS    STEPS. 

That  the  providence  of  God  extends  to  the 
minutest  concerns  in  the  life  of  every  man,  and 
that  how  often  soever  we  may  be  disappointed  or 
lost  in  the  uncertainties  which  appear  to  surround 
us,  God's  designs  proceed  steadily  to  their  accom- 
plishment ;  and  that  these  designs  are  invariably 
benevolent  in  their  progress,  though  sometimes 
their  tendency  is  not  immediately  seen,  are  truths 
which  have  impressed  themselves  so  strongly  on 
my  own  conviction,  that  I  cannot  avoid  wishing 
they  may  be  felt  with  equal  force  by  you,  my  chris- 
tian friends.  No  man,  I  think,  can  have  passed 
half  the  term  of  human  existence,  without  discover- 
ing, that  more  than  once  his  projects  have  been 
frustrated,  his  courses  altered,  his  buds  of  hope 
blasted,  and  the  lofty  fabric  of  his  expectations 
overthrown,  he  knows  not  how,  nor  whence,  nor 


DISPOSAL  OF  OUR  LOT.  27 

wherefore.  No  man,  I  think,  would  venture  delib- 
erately to  offend  the  Almighty  Disposer  of  his  lot, 
could  he  but  realize  the  completeness  of  his  depen- 
dence upon  him.  In  the  bustle  of  human  exertion, 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  keep  this  sentiment  in 
active  and  uninterrupted  exercise.  With  a  view 
then  of  making  a  pious  impression  on  our  hearts, 
I  shall  attempt, 

First,  To  show  how  little  our  external  situa- 
tion in  life  has  depended  on  ourselves  ;  and, 

Secondly,  To  prove,  that  if  our  circumstances 
were  more  at  our  own  disposal,  and  our  wishes 
more  frequently  accomplished,  we  should  probably 
be  less  happy  than  we  are  at  present. 

To  show  you  how  little  our  lot  in  the  world  has 
been  in  our  own  hands,  it  is  not  necessary  to  carry 
you  back  to  those  hours  when  you  were  waiting 
for  life,  and  the  little  spark  of  existence,  just  kind- 
led, was  trembling  under  every  passing  breath  of 
casualty.  It  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  upon  the 
days  of  your  infancy,  when  it  was  every  minute 
doubtful  whether  the  being  that  had  been  intro- 
duced into  life,  would  live  long  enough  to  understand 
that  he  had  a  life  to  preserve.  We  will  pass  over 
those  days  of  boyhood,  when  the  understanding  is 
not  ripe  enough  to  form  plans,  and  when  the  fore- 
thought just  appearing  extends  no  further  than  to 
the  pleasures,  hardly  to  the  evils  of  the  morrow. 
We  will  pass  over,  too,  the  remaining  years  of  mi- 
nority, when  the  imagination  just  begins  to  know 
its  own  alacrity,  and,  fertile  in  youthful  projects, 
leaps  forward  from  one  year  to  another,  of  a  life 


28  SERMON  II. 

long  in  prospect,  touching  every  object  it  meets 
with  the  tints  of  hope.  The  whole  of  this  early 
period,  though  it  often  gives  a  lasting  color  to  the 
remainder  of  life,  is  so  little  within  our  own  power, 
and  is  so  seldom  influenced  by  any  plans  which 
we  are  then  capable  of  forming,  that  it  would  be 
superfluous  to  insist  longer  upon  the  conclusion 
we  would  draw  from  it. 

There  is  a  time,  however,  when  every  man  begins 
to  feel  something  of  his  own  self-sufficiency,  when 
we  choose  the  pursuits  we  mean  to  follow,  mark 
out  what  we  imagine  to  be  the  road  to  happiness, 
and,  thus  prepared,  enter  on  the  wide  and  busy 
scene  of  active  life.  From  this  period,  then, 
when  you  think  you  have  taken  the  thread  of  your 
fortunes  into  your  own  hands,  allow  me  to  follow 
you  a  few  steps. 

The  first  fact  which  shows  us  how  little  our 
present  situation  is  the  result  of  our  own  arrange- 
ments, is  the  innumerable  defeats  every  man's 
plans  encounter.  I  appeal  to  any  one  who  has 
lived  long  in  the  world,  whether,  at  any  period  of 
his  life,  he  has  found  himself  in  the  precise  cir- 
cumstances he  expected.  This  certainty  of  disap- 
pointment results  from  more  than  one  source.  In 
the  first  place,  so  various  and  complicated  are 
human  interests,  so  inordinate  are  many  of  our 
desires,  and  so  unreasonable  are  others,  that  two 
individuals  can  hardly  form  extensive  plans  of  con- 
duct which  shall  not  interfere,  if  not  by  direct 
collision,  at  least  in  some  subordinate  parts,  so  as 
to  affect  the  issue  of  the  whole.     What  a  range  of 


DISPOSAL  OP  OUR  LOT.  29 

disappointment  does  this  single  fact  open !  The 
success  of  one  half  the  human  race  is  the  partial 
disappointment  of  the  other.  From  this  single 
source  of  disappointment,  however  real  or  imagin- 
ary— the  contrariety  of  human  interests — you  see 
how  much  of  your  destiny  on  earth,  is  placed  at 
once  out  of  your  control. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  enumerate  all  the 
causes  of  the  failure  of  our  plans.  One,  however, 
which,  more  perhaps  than  any  other,  shows  the 
folly  of  far  extended  projects,  is  the  uncertainty  of 
health,  a  blessing,  which  is  attended  with  no  per- 
ceptible sensation  of  pleasure,  but  which  is  indis- 
pensable to  the  full  enjoyment  of  every  other 
pleasure.  And  is  this  a  good  which  is  within  the 
reach  of  human  foresight  ?  I  ask  you,  young  man, 
who  have  been  forming  extensive  plans  of  future 
eminence,  you,  who  are  so  busy  while  the  worm  of 
disease  is  secretly  feeding  at  the  seat  of  life,  and 
sucking  the  bloom  of  health  from  your  cheek  ? 
I  ask  you,  laborious  man  of  business,  whose  plans 
have  attained  all  the  excellence,  which  maturity  of 
mind,  long  experience,  and  increasing  confidence 
can  give  them,  have  you  never  felt  pains  which 
warn  you  of  your  mortality  ?  Have  you  never  laid 
your  head  upon  the  pillow  with  a  foreboding,  that 
tomorrow  might  sweep  you  and  your  projects 
into  oblivion  ? 

What  then  ?  Is  man  the  arbiter  of  his  own  fate, 
when  the  least  mite  that  floats  in  God's  air,  may 
derange  the  whole  system  of  the  human  constitu- 


OQ  SERMON  II. 

tion  ?  Is  man  the  being  to  forget  that  his  lot  is 
not  within  his  own  disposal,  when  the  first  breeze 
may  waft  pestilence  to  his  heart,  and  the  first 
exhalation  which  rises  up  under  his  nostrils,  may 
poison  the  source  of  his  being ;  and,  if  he  recover, 
leave  him  a  life  of  debility,  of  inactivity,  perhaps 
of  pain  and  misery  ?  Go  to  the  tombstones,  and 
read  there  the  records  of  human  disappointments. 
The  heads  which  are  now  mouldering  in  those 
narrow  cells,  once  teemed  with  plans  as  probable 
as  yours: 

A  second  remark  which  should  satisfy  us  that 
our  present  situation  is  not  the  result  of  our  own 
foresight,  is  this ;  that  most  of  the  pleasures  we 
have  met  with  in  life  were  entirely  unexpected ; 
and,  of  our  successes  also,  how  few  have  been  the 
direct  consequences  of  our  plans  ?  The  very 
phrase  good  fortune,  intimates  this.  It  implies  a 
happiness  which  was  not  premeditated,  which  was 
not  the  object  of  our  calculations,  not  the  fair  re- 
sult of  any  of  the  plans  we  had  been  laboriously 
forming.  How  many  have  vaulted  into  seats  of 
power,  lifted  by  the  agitation  of  the  times,  into 
places  to  which  they  once  dared  not  raise  a 
thought  ?  What  has  raised  the  men  who  fill  up 
such  a  space  in  history,  but  who  make  such  blanks 
in  creation,  but  the  combinations  of  circumstan- 
ces, which  they  never  foresaw,  and  tides  in  human 
affairs,  upon  which  they  never  calculated  ? 

But  it  is  not  necessary  to  mount  so  high  for  ex- 
amples.    Enumerate,  I  beseech  you,  the  pleasant 


DISPOSAL  OF  OUR  LOT.  31 

circumstances  of  a  single  day,  and  teli  me  how  ma- 
ny of  them  came  within  your  anticipations  ?  What 
are  the  pleasures  which  constitute  the  ordinary, 
therefore  I  may  say  the  principal  happiness  of  hu- 
man life,  and  attach  us  so  strongly  to  existence  ? 
Are  they  not  the  little,  domestic,  unsought  com- 
forts, which  one  man  enjoys  almost  as  well  as  an- 
other ?  And  was  it  for  these  common  pleasures 
of  life,  that  you  have  been  all  along  spreading  your 
nets  ?  No,  my  friends,  acknowledge  it  was  not. 
It  was  for  the  glittering,  the  envied,  the  distin- 
guished blessings.  You  thought  you  should  be 
miserable  if  you  did  not  obtain  these,  and  so  you 
would  have  been,  had  not  the  All-wise  Disposer  of 
human  affairs  ordered  better  the  sources  of  hu- 
man happiness.  If  he  had  left  us  to  look  out  for 
all  the  little  circumstances  that  make  life  agreea- 
ble, the  whole  of  human  felicity  would  be  lost  in 
the  toil  and  weariness  of  providing  for  it.  No,  my 
friends,  the  prodigious  variety  of  little  circumstan- 
ces, which  make  up  the  daily  comforts  of  life,  is 
not  what  we  seek,  but  what  meets  us  every  hour. 
Happiness  is  like  the  invisible,  elastic  fluid,  which 
we  breathe.  If  we  were  compelled  to  seek  the 
pure  air  which  supports  respiration,  our  breath 
would  be  soon  exhausted  in  the  pursuit. 

A  third  remark  only  will  I  make,  to  add  to  the 
weight  of  proof,  that  our  actual  situations  in  life 
have  been  much  less  in  our  power,  than  the  show 
of  human  activity  would  lead  us  at  first  to  sup- 
pose.    If  you  have  passed  the  meridian  of  your 


32  SERMON  II. 

days,  I  am  sure  you  are  sensible  that  no  unvarying 
plan  has  hitherto  conducted  you.  Ask  that  old 
man,  who  has  approached  so  feebly  the  term 
of  his  life,  and  is  now  looking  back  upon  the  days 
as  they  roll  away  behind  him;  ask  him,  how  often 
he  has  changed  his  courses,  how  often  he  has 
measured  back  his  steps.  Ask  him,  if  much  of  the 
short  period  which  is  allotted  to  this  busy  life,  has 
not  been  spent  in  recovering  what  has  been  lost,  in 
framing  new  speculations,  in  guarding  against  new 
defeats,  in  altering  even  what  once  appeared  to  be 
his  ultimate  views.  It  is  indeed  often  supposed 
that  much  of  the  misfortune  of  human  affairs  is  the 
consequence  of  the  instability  of  our  purposes,  and 
the  perpetual  changes  of  our  plans.  But  perhaps 
the  very  contrary  is  often  the  case.  For  who  has 
not  found,  that,  by  an  obstinate  adherence  to  his 
own  plans,  or  too  great  confidence  in  the  infalli- 
bility of  former  conclusions,  opportunities  are  con- 
tinually lost,  and  many  a  life  worn  out  in  discon- 
tentment, and  hopes  never  realized,  which  might 
otherwise  have  been  conducted  in  triumph  under 
the  banners  of  success  ?  What  then  is  the  conclu- 
sion from  this  fact  ?  that,  in  order  to  secure  the 
greatest  prosperity,  it  is  necessary  to  change  often 
our  pursuits,  and  even  our  ultimate  views  ?  Or  is 
it  not  this  ;  that  in  consequence  of  the  narrowness 
of  our  comprehension,  our  best  plans  are  so  liable 
to  defeat,  that  it  is  absurd  in  any  case  to  say,  that 
the  situation  in  which  we  find  ourselves,  is  the  di- 
rect result  of  our  own  contrivance,  and  of  course 
that  our  lot  in  life  is  at  our  own  disposal  ? 


DISPOSAL  OF  OUR  LOT.  33 

The  second  division  of  our  subject  now  calls 
for  our  attention.  In  this  I  proposed  to  show 
you,  that  even  if  our  circumstances  in  life  were 
more  at  our  own  disposal,  and  our  views  more  fre- 
quently accomplished,  we  should  find  that  we  had 
consulted  our  own  happiness  much  less  frequently 
and  successfully,  than  it  is  now  provided  for,  by 
what  we  call  the  uncertainties  and  accidents  of 
life. 

No  doubt  most  men,  at  the  close  of  their  days, 
imagine,  that  if  they  were  to  begin  life  again, 
they  should  conduct  it  with  more  prudence,  and 
probably  with  greater  success.  But  even  this 
common  sentiment  we  know  to  be  extremely  fal- 
lacious. How  much  more  doubtful,  then,  or  errone- 
ous are  the  notions  of  those,  who  are  entering 
into  life,  and  who  imagine,  that  if  they  were  once 
permitted  to  make  their  own  fortunes,  they  should 
infallibly  make  their  own  felicity  ! 

In  this  age  of  accumulation,  the  majority  per- 
haps of  mankind,  if  allowed  to  have  their  first 
wish,  would  place  themselves  immediately  in  the 
possession  of  wealth.  A  few  might  be  found  of 
moderate  designs,  but  most  men  would  rush  at 
once  into  opulence,  under  the  vain  expectation 
that  they  were  ensuring  a  perpetuity  of  good,  in 
every  treasure  they  deposited  for  future  supply. 
As  soon,  however,  as  the  first  flush  of  acquisition 
is  over,  if  you  ask  them  whether  they  have  found 
that  wealth  is  happiness,  they  will  tell  you  that 
they  have  made  a  deplorable  mistake.  They  will 
5 


34  SERMON  II. 

tell  you,  that  they  have  found,  to  their  astonish- 
ment, that  the  care  of  preserving  property  was  as 
painful  as  the  anxiety  of  procuring  it,  and  that  to 
possess  was  not  to  enjoy.  They  will  tell  you,  that 
they  have  found  innumerable  pleasures  which 
wealth  did  not  assist  them  to  enjoy,  many  which 
it  strangely  interrupted,  and  a  few  from  which  it 
had  completely  excluded  them.  Recollect,  too, 
my  friends,  that  this  person,  whom  we  have  now 
allowed  to  choose  his  situation  in  life,  has  chosen 
it  for  life.  He  is  to  be  a  rich  man,  a  rich  man 
only,  and  a  rich  man  forever.  Infallible  disposer 
of  your  own  lot !  you  shall  be  allowed  another 
trial. 

Your  ruling  passion,  then,  is  fame.  Let  my  life, 
you  say,  be  short,  if  it  be  but  brilliant.  I  will  live, 
though  but  for  an  hour  here,  yet  will  I  live  in  the 
admiration  of  posterity  ;  though  seen,  and  gazed 
at  but  for  a  little  time  by  my  cotemporaries,  I  shall 
return,  like  a  comet,  in  the  revolutions  of  centuries, 
to  be  the  wonder  of  a  remote  generation.  Riches, 
I  disdain,  for  they  are  accessible  to  any  man; 
health,  I  am  proud  to  sacrifice  ;  power,  I  value  not, 
except  as  it  belongs  to  mind  ;  station,  in  the  com- 
mon interested  grades  of  society,  I  am  ashamed 
to  aspire  to;  mind  is  my  kingdom;  obscurity 
only  is  my  dread ;  to  be  unknown,  is  what  alone 
can  make  me  miserable.  A  life  may  be  celebrated 
even  because  it  is  short.  Let  me  float,  though  it 
be  but  a  day,  a  beautiful  meteor  on  the  breath  of 
popularity.     I  have  chosen  my  lot  in  life.     Grant 


DISPOSAL  OF  OUR  LOT.  35 

my  wish,  and  I  am  happy.  Vain  man  !  it  is  grant- 
ed. You  are  envied,  depreciated,  sacrificed. 
Pale,  with  the  laurels  round  your  brow,  you  have 
succeeded ;  but  success  cannot  restore  the  color 
of  health,  which  the  anxiety  of  being  applauded, 
has  worn  away  from  your  cheek.  Your  temper, 
too,  is  ruined  ;  you  have  become  unnaturally  sensi- 
tive to  every  word  or  look  which  threatens  you 
with  censure  ;  painfully  jealous  of  those  whom 
you  ought  to  love  ;  insensible  of  the  clearest  worth 
of  your  competitors ;  consumed  with  a  feverish 
thirst  for  admiration,  or  swollen  with  a  solitary 
pride,  which  shuts  you  out  from  half  the  pleasures 
of  sympathy,  and  from  half  the  joys  of  benevo- 
lence. This  world,  then,  is  no  longer  agreeable 
than  while  it  praises  you ;  therefore  you  make  friends 
with  the  next  generation,  which  shall  neither  love 
nor  hate,  neither  flatter  nor  betray  you.  This, 
then,  is  the  portion  you  have  chosen ;  to  be  ap- 
plauded, instead  of  being  loved,  to  be  proud,  in- 
stead of  being  happy,  and  you  are  rewarded  by 
the  unsubstantial  honors  in  the  gift  of  posterity, 
instead  of  the  personal  attachment  of  the  genera- 
tion in  which  you  live.  Do  not  say,  my  young 
friend,  that  I  have  deserted  my  first  supposition, 
and  that  all  this  wretchedness  is  the  attendant, 
not  of  fame  attained,  but  of  fame  anxiously  de- 
sired. The  objection  would  be  satisfactory  if  the 
love  of  fame  were  a  passion  which  could  be 
quenched  by  the  attainment  of  its  objects.  No, 
its  appetite  grows  by  what  it  feeds  on. 


36  SERMON  II. 

It  would  be  superfluous  to  mention  more  of 
cases,  which  are  so  easily  imagined.  It  is  plain 
that  if  we  were  allowed  to  choose  our  future  lot, 
we  should  all  prefer  some  change  from  our  pre- 
sent situation.  This  man  would  put  himself  for- 
ward a  step  in  the  ranks  of  society,  and  that  would 
grasp  at  a  little  more  power ;  one  would  seek,  as 
we  have  supposed,  for  fame,  another  for  wealth ; 
some  would  choose  uninterrupted  health,  and  its 
attendant  activity  ;  others  would  prefer  inactivity, 
quietness,  security,  and  ease.  But  how  is  it  that 
all  these  sagacious  arbiters  of  their  own  destiny 
have  failed  in  the  attainment  of  a  common  object  ? 
How  is  it,  my  friends,  that  if  left  to  ourselves,  we 
should  consult  our  own  happiness  less  than  it  is 
already  consulted  by  the  uncertainties,  the  disap- 
pointments, the  casualties  of  the  present  arrange- 
ment of  human  affairs  ?  The  reason  is  simply 
this ;  that  happiness  does  not  consist  in  external 
circumstances.  Of  course,  arrange  your  situation 
in  life  as  you  please;  surround  yourself  with 
wealth,  power,  influence,  fame ;  still,  if  you  bring 
not  with  you  the  temper  most  proper  for  your 
situation,  you  have  lost,  rather  than  gained,  by  the 
privilege  you  have  exercised.  Such  is  the  wis- 
dom of  God's  providence,  that  the  temper  most 
proper  for  every  situation,  can  be  formed  only  by 
feeling  the  very  uncertainty  on  which  that  situa- 
tion is  granted. 

I  cannot  leave  this  division  of  my  subject,  with- 
out indulging  some  further  speculations,  on  the 


DISPOSAL  OF  OUR  LOT.  37 

wisdom  of  these  apparently  uncertain  arrange- 
ments of  Providence. 

However  paradoxical  it  may  appear,  I  will  ven- 
ture to  assert,  that  if  the  formation  of  our  moral 
characters  depended  less  than  it  now  does  upon 
unforeseen  circumstances,  in  other  words,  if  the 
virtues  which  men  sometimes  exhibit,  were  placed 
more  easily  within  their  own  power,  we  should 
probably  be  not  only  less  happy,  but  even  less  vir- 
tuous than  we  now  are.  It  is  not  too  bold  to  sug- 
gest that  even  a  man  under  the  influence  of  a  pure 
moral  principle,  and  aspiring  after  eminent  attain- 
ments in  goodness,  if  left  to  choose  his  own  char- 
acter, would  neither  consult  his  own  true  worth, 
nor  his  best  happiness.  We  should  see  him  carried 
away  with  false  estimates  of  particular  excellences. 

One  man,  transported  with  lofty  notions  of  patri- 
otism, or  glowing  with  the  flame  of  universal  be- 
nevolence, to  attain  the  moral  reputation  he  most 
desired,  would  bend  all  the  powers  of  his  mind, 
and  accommodate  all  the  affections  of  his  heart,  to 
exhibit  a  character  like  Washington's  or  Howard's. 
Yet  this  man,  though  burning  with  a  pure  ambition 
of  excellence,  being  unable  to  conceive  complete- 
ly, what  constitutes  the  perfection  of  this  or  that 
virtue,  and  not  placed  in  precisely  the  situation  of 
his  model,  would  find  himself  ridiculous  at  the  very 
summit  of  his  attainments.  He  would  And,  that  in 
his  wild  pursuit  of  these  splendid  virtues,  his  pri- 
vate and  particular  affections  had  suffered.  He 
would   find,  that  what  he  had  gained  in  universal 


38  SERMON  II. 

philanthropy,  he  had  lost  in  individual  sympathy, 
and  you  would  probahly  discern  that  he  was  a  less 
affectionate  son,  a  less  careful  parent,  a  less  useful 
private  citizen.  If  patriotism  or  universal  benev- 
olence were  to  become  his  passion,  you  would  find 
him  sacrificing  the  great  laws  of  mutual  justice, 
to  the  imagined  interests  of  his  own  country,  or  of 
the  world  at  large ;  and  his  moral  sense,  which 
was  once  a  nice  test  of  right  and  wrong  in  human 
actions,  would  be  destroyed  by  too  great  familiari- 
ty with  the  maxims  of  national  policy,  or  with  the 
speculations  of  universal  benevolence.  Thus  we 
may  venture  to  predict,  that  this  man,  when  arriv- 
ed at  the  summit  of  the  excellence  he  most  earn- 
estly sought,  would  in  fact  be  a  man  of  less  moral 
worth,  than  if  his  character  had  been  left  to  be 
formed  by  the  plastic  power  of  the  common  situa- 
tions, uncertainties,  disappointments,  and  casual- 
ties of  life. 

I  will  suppose  another  case,  in  which  a  man 
shall  be  permitted  to  choose  his  own  character. 
It  is  that  of  one  impressed  with  a  deep  sense  of 
the  importance  of  religious  opinions.  He  looks 
around  on  the  world,  and  his  heart  aches,  when  he 
views  the  creatures  of  God  perishing  in  ignorance 
of  what,  he  thinks,  can  alone  constitute  their  feli- 
city. He  glows  with  a  zeal  which  to  him  appears 
the  purest  of  human  passions. 

If  he  were  to  choose  the  character  he  would  ex- 
hibit to  the  world,  it  would  be  that  of  a  man  pas- 
sionately devoted  to  the  progress  of  religious  opin- 


DISPOSAL  OF  OUR  LOT.  39 

ions.  Nay,  more,  he  would  establish  the  charac- 
ter to  which  he  aspires,  if  it  were  necessary,  by 
marching  cheerfully  to  the  stake,  and  dying  a  mar- 
tyr in  the  cause  of  his  God.  He  is  afraid  of  in- 
curring the  suspicion  of  lukcwarmness,  and  would 
change  any  situation  in  life,  if  he  could  open  a 
wider  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  zeal.  But  take 
care  that  you  are  not  too  impatient  to  burst  the 
limited  sphere  in  which  God  has  placed  you.  Your 
zeal,  if  it  had  all  the  scope  you  wish,  might  break 
out  into  passion ;  your  deep  sense  of  the  value  of 
religious  opinions  might  tread  on  the  brink  of  un- 
charitableness,  and  your  ardor  for  reform,  might, 
if  your  station  would  admit  of  it,  lead  you  to  re- 
form by  persecution,  instead  of  persuasion.  No, 
my  friend,  trust  the  shaping  of  your  character  in 
the  hands  of  Providence.  He  has  placed  you  in 
circumstances  where  you  are  obliged  to  love  men 
with  whom  you  differ,  and  to  cooperate  with  men, 
whom  you  burn  to  reform.  Sometimes  God  cools 
your  ardor  in  his  own  cause  by  disappointments, 
for  which  you  cannot  account ;  sometimes  he 
places  you  in  situations  which  you  find  it  difficult 
to  accommodate  to  your  principles  of  conduct, 
and  opens  to  you  views  which  make  you  doubt 
the  infallibility  of  your  own  conclusions.  In  short, 
God,  by  the  circumstances  and  connexions  in 
which  you  have  been  placed,  has  made  you  truly 
useful,  whereas  you  might  have  been  only  zealous  ; 
he  has  kept  you  candid,  when  you  might  have 
been  uncharitable  ;  he  has  given  you  influence  on- 


40  SERMON  II. 

ly,  where  you  wanted  power,  and  has  preserved  you 
a  mild  example  of  the  excellence  of  his  religion, 
when  your  own  enthusiasm  might  have  dishonored 
the  cause  you  had  espoused,  or  your  passions  have 
led  you  to  the  stake,  a  vain  and  unprofitable  mar- 
tyr. 

Indulge  me,  my  friends,  with  one  supposition 
more  on  this  subject,  and  I  have  done. 

Here  is  a  man,  whose  ruling  passion  is  honor. 
If  he  were  allowed  to  fashion  his  own  reputation, 
he  would  be  distinguished  for  an  excessive  sensi- 
bility which  feels  a  stain  as  it  would  a  wound.  In- 
fluenced by  the  contemplation  of  imaginary  charac- 
ters, he  endeavours  to  form  himself  after  the  model 
of  heroes  he  has  admired  in  history,  or  characters 
that  he  has  contemplated  in  the  lustre  of  romance. 
But  as  soon  as  this  man  enters  into  the  world  of  ac- 
tual existences,  he  finds  that  he  has  been  prepar- 
ing himself  for  a  different  sphere.  He  finds  that 
the  every  day  virtues  of  sober  and  industrious  citi- 
zens meet  with  a  better  reception,  than  all  the  re- 
finements of  superior  spirits,  with  the  light  of  which 
he  hoped  to  encircle  his  character.  He  begins  to 
suspect  that  he  has  fashioned  his  feelings  for  a 
state  of  society  which  it  is  the  amusement  of  ro- 
mancers only  to  pourtray,  and  of  enthusiasts  to  im- 
agine, and  that  he  has  lost  much  of  the  happiness 
which  he  might  have  found  in  this  mixed  world, 
merely  by  seeking  for  beings  which  do  not  yet 
exist,  and  cherishing  expectations,  which  the  ordi- 
nary race  of  his  companions  will  delight  to  disap- 


DISPOSAL  OF  OUR  LOT.  .).\ 

point.  He  will  wish  in  vain,  that  he  had  been 
cast  from  his  youth  among  the  roughnesses  and 
disappointments  of  life,  that  he  might  have  acquir- 
ed a  disposition  adapted  to  the  world  in  which  he 
is  to  bustle ;  and  if  God  should  once  more  allow 
this  child  of  refinement  to  choose  the  character  he 
would  sustain  in  life,  you  would  find  him  seeking 
for  happiness  in  the  customary  track  of  human 
virtues. 

You  will  recollect,  my  friends,  that  in  the  be- 
ginning of  this  discourse  we  hoped  to  establish 
two  conclusions.  First,  that  God  alone  disposes 
of  our  lot  in  life ;  and  secondly,  that  his  arrange- 
ments are  made  with  the  kindest  intentions  toward 
every  individual.  These  conclusions  are  most 
interesting,  most  important,  and  most  consolitory. 

Let  us  bow  at  the  feet  of  the  Omniscient  Beinsr 
who  orders  our  circumstances  in  life,  and  say,  O 
God  !  I  am  ashamed  of  my  pride,  my  discontent, 
and  my  vain  expectations.  I  have  been  disap- 
pointed in  life,  but  it  was  thou  who  didst  disappoint 
me,  and  I  murmur  not.  I  have  been  fortunate, 
but  it  was  thy  blessing  which  gave  this  unexpected 
success  to  my  projects,  and  I  am  humble.  If  my 
plans  had  always  succeeded,  they  would  have 
interfered  with  the  wise  arrangements  of  thy 
providence,  and  merely  for  my  partial  good,  dis- 
concerted the  profound  and  extensive  operations 
of  thy  wisdom  and  beneficence.  When  I  look 
back  upon  my  life,  I  see  that  thou  hast  trained 
me  up  in  the  sure  and  progressive  order  of  thy 
G 


42  SERMON  II. 

providence,  to  the  character  and  the  hopes,  which 
I  now  possess.  When  I  have  thought  myself 
abandoned,  thou  hast  been  watching  me  with 
paternal  care ;  when  I  supposed  myself  most  mis- 
erable, I  have  found  myself  nearer  to  the  acquisi- 
tion of  the  only  permanent  good.  The  very 
circumstances  of  my  life,  which  I  thought  the 
most  inauspicious,  I  find  the  most  favorable,  and 
the  very  trials,  which  I  thought  would  terminate 
in  my  misery  or  death,  I  now  find  had  the  most 
benevolent  tendency,  the  most  cheerful  conclusion. 
My  expectations  have  been  often  defeated,  and 
my  views  altered,  but  I  still  find  myself  crowned 
with  loving  kindness,  and  surrounded  with  oppor- 
tunities for  virtue  and  happiness.  In  all  the  events 
of  life,  then,  I  will  bless  thee.  Though  the  fig- 
tree  should  not  blossom,  and  there  should  be  no 
fruit  in  the  budding  vine  of  my  hopes,  yet  will  I 
bless  the  Lord,  and  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation. 
I  have  trusted  thee  for  this  life,  and  with  senti- 
ments like  these,  in  continual  exercise,  may  I  not 
trust  thee,  O  God,  for  eternity  ? 


SERMON   III 


ON  THE  EVIDENCES  OF  A  RETRIBUTION  FOR  SIN. 


Romans,  II.   1G. 


IN  THE    DAY  WHEN  GOD  SHALL  JUDGE    THE  SECRETS  OF  MEN- 
JESUS  CHRIST,  ACCORDING    TO  MY   GOSPEL. 


The  doctrine  of  a  future  judgment  and  conse- 
quent retribution  after  death,  is  the  first  princi- 
ple of  all  religion,  and  the  foundation  of  all  reli- 
gious obedience.  It  supposes  a  power  above  us, 
which  observes,  while  it  upholds ;  a  being  from 
whom  nothing  in  our  character,  or  conduct,  or 
destiny  is  hidden,  and  to  whom  it  will  be  as  easy 
to  assign  with  equity  our  future  condition,  as  it 
was  to  appoint  our  present  lot.  It  supposes  that 
we  are  here  on  trial  for  eternity,  that  we  know  our 
obligations  and  our  powers,  and  that  we  must 
hereafter  render  an  account  of  our  conduct.  Ii 
it  were  true  that  the  revelations  which  God  has 
given  us,  had  not  expressly  declared  that  there 
would  be  a  day  of  judgment  for  every  moral  agent, 
it  would  not  be  the  less  probable  ;  for  the  whole 
system  of  Christianity  and  the  whole  language  of 


44  SERMON  III. 

the  scriptures  proceed  on  the  supposition  of  such 
a  retribution ;  and,  whatever  there  may  be  of 
figure  and  embellishment  in  the  descriptions  which 
the  gospel  contains  of  this  solemn  proceeding; 
whether  the  whole  of  this  great  transaction  will 
be  finished  in  one  literal  day,  or  the  whole  world 
be  congregated  in  one  great  assembly ;  the  sub- 
stantial truth  of  the  doctrine  is  not  affected,  that 
God  will  hereafter  judge  the  secrets  of  men  by 
Jesus  Christ,  and  render  to  every  man  according 
to  his  works. 

There  is  a  solemnity  in  this  doctrine  which  no- 
thing in  religion  surpasses,  and  a  reasonableness 
in  it  which  commends  it  to  the  wants  and  best 
judgments  of  men.  No  man  can  have  lived  long 
in  the  world  and  not  felt  the  secret  conviction  that 
a  day  will  come  when  the  inequalities  of  present 
fortune  will  be  rectified,  and  the  righteousness  of 
God  be  displayed.  Let  us  devote  this  day  to  the 
contemplation  of  this  great  doctrine  of  the  gos- 
pel. 

In  reflecting  upon  it,  we  shall  first  attempt 
to  observe  some  of  the  numerous  indications  of 
a  moral  government  already  commenced  in  the 
world ; 

Secondly,  from  the  imperfect  degree  to  which 
it  is  here  carried,  notice  the  strong  presumption  we 
have  for  believing  that  it  will  be  at  some  time  com- 
pleted ; 

Thirdly,  observe  the  assurance  which  the  gospel 
gives  us,  that  such  a  judgment  and  retribution  will 
take  place  hereafter. 


RETRIBUTION.  45 

First,  then,  \vc  are  to  attend  to  some  of  the  nu- 
merous indications  of  a  moral  and  judicial  govern- 
ment  already   commenced    in   the  present  state. 

To  a  reflecting  mind  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  there  is  a  God  who  judgeth  in  the  earth,  or, 
in  other  words,  that  we  are  under  a  moral  govern- 
ment. The  very  idea  of  the  thing  is  almost  suffi- 
cient to  prove  that  such  a  government  exists;  for 
whence  should  the  notions  of  right  and  wrong, 
merit  and  demerit,  reward  and  punishment,  arise, 
except  from  that  constitution  of  things  in  which 
God  has  placed  us  ?  That  course  of  providence 
or  discipline,  which  generates  the  idea  of  virtue, 
and  gives  it  its  good  character  in  our  minds,  indi- 
cates the  intention  of  that  God  who  loveth  righte- 
ousness, and  hateth  iniquity.  To  the  same  point 
also  tend  many  of  the  institutions  of  society.  Civil 
government  is  to  be  regarded  as  an  ordinance  of 
God  for  the  terror  and  punishment  of  evil  doers, 
and  a  security  and  encouragement  to  them  that  do 
well.  The  punishment  of  the  wicked,  and  the 
restraints  of  the  ill  disposed,  however  imperfectly 
effected  by  this  institution,  are  yet  to  be  regarded 
as  a  general  effect,  indicating  the  moral  intention 
of  God,  who  ruleth  in  the  earth.  The  same  inten- 
tion is  also  intimated  to  us  in  the  universal  impres- 
sion of  parental  authority,  although,  like  civil  gov- 
ernment, it  is  too  often  imperfectly  administered. 

A  more  sensible  indication  of  the  moral  govern- 
ment of  God  we  find  in  the  sentiment  which  of- 
fences against  society  naturally  excite  in  obscrv- 


4G  SERMON  III. 

ers.  It  is  not  merely  a  sentiment  of  fear,  which  is 
excited  by  the  evildoer,  but  one  of  indignation  and 
contempt,  even  when  he  has  escaped  the  penalty 
of  human  laws.  It  does  not  destroy  the  proof 
which  these  sentiments  furnish  of  a  moral  consti- 
tution, to  say,  that  they  are  the  effect  of  education, 
or  of  a  refined  state  of  society ;  because,  if  the  Au- 
thor of  our  being  has  so  constituted  the  nature 
and  circumstances  of  all  his  creatures,  that  these 
sentiments  are  always  generated  in  the  course  of 
man's  social  existence,  this  fact  is  enough  to  en- 
title us  to  call  it  amoral  provision,  indicating  the 
judicial  government  of  God,  by  which  he  inflicts 
punishment  on  the  offenders  against  society.  Be- 
sides this  retribution  from  society,  there  is  a  pun- 
ishment provided  for  personal  vices  in  the  conse- 
quences which  follow  them  in  the  frame  of  the  hu- 
man body  ;  and  there  is  no  excess  which  is  not 
closely,  or  remotely  pursued  by  its  natural  retri- 
bution, weakness,  disease,  and  death. 

But  the  most  important  witness  of  the  moral  and 
judicial  government  of  God,  is  undoubtedly  to  be 
found  within  the  mind  itself.  When  we  speak  of 
conscience,  every  man  knows  what  we  mean  ;  for 
its  tribunal  is  within  him,  and  this  vicegerent  of 
the  divine  justice  exercises  a  power,  from  which  it 
is  impossible  entirely  to  escape,  though  it  is  some- 
times silenced,  corrupted,  or  deceived.  This  it  is, 
which  makes  cowards  of  the  most  abandoned  in 
the  hour  of  death,  which  flashes  its  light  into  the 
most  secret  retreats  of  the  guilty,  and  breathes  an 


RETRIBUTION.  47 

acknowledged  horror  over  the  prosperity  of  the 
wicked.  This  it  is,  which  renders  the  face  of  na- 
ture horrible  to  the  man,  who  bears  about  with  him 
the  worm  that  never  dies ;  this  is  the  avenger, 
which  waits  only  for  a  moment  of  solitude,  or  an 
interval  of  retirement,  to  make  the  proudest  and 
most  important  of  villains  weary  of  life,  and  if  it 
find  him  never  alone,  pursues  him  even  in  his 
dreams,  and  terrifies  him  with  visions  of  the  night. 
It  is  a  rewarder  also,  as  well  as  a  punisher  ;  an  ap- 
prover, as  well  as  a  condemner.  It  is  regarded 
not  merely  as  a  strong  indication  of  the  divine 
government,  but  as  constituting  the  most  exten- 
sive and  effectual  provision  which  God  has  made 
for  the  administration  of  justice  ;  and  there  is  no 
man  who  has  ever  fallen  under  its  sentence,  who 
will  not  confess  that  it  is  the  minister  as  well  as 
the  interpreter  of  divine  justice. 

Has  your  conscience  ever  reproached  you  ? 
Did  it  not  then,  at  that  very  moment,  lift  a  corner 
of  the  veil  which  is  yet  drawn  over  this  scene 
of  future  judgment?  Every  public  oath,  every 
faltering  perjury,  every  dying  confession,  every 
prayer  for  mercy,  every  face  pale  with  falsehood, 
and  every  wild  look  of  despair  is  an  appeal  which 
our  reason  acknowledges,  to  this  future  tribunal. 

When  Paul  was  reasoning  of  righteousness,  tem- 
perance, and  judgment  to  come,  Felix  trembled. 
The  rising  of  the  procurator  from  his  seat,  was  it- 
self a  proclamation,  loud  as  the  voice  of  the  in- 
spired apostle,  that  the  doctrine  which  he  taught 


48     .  SERMON  III. 

was  no  chimera.  But  if  the  Roman  governor 
chooses,  let  him  refer  these  suggestions  of  his  trou- 
bled mind  to  the  class  of  superstitious  delusions, 
and  maintain  that  these  suggestions  do  not  demon- 
strate such  a  retribution  as  the  apostle  was  preach- 
ing. Be  it  so  then  ;  and  let  Felix  take  his  seat 
again,  and  demand  another  proof;  for  conscience, 
though  it  makes  us  cowards,  does  not  always  make 
us  believers.  Let  the  trial  then  of  the  innocent 
proceed.  Let  the  judge,  who  has  the  preacher  in 
his  power,  proceed  to  pass  his  iniquitous  sentence, 
and  cut  off  at  once  the  argument  and  the  life  of 
the  apostle.  Nay,  more ;  let  him  retire  now  with 
his  guards,  and  ask,  where  is  this  judgment  of 
which  the  prisoner  prated  so  long?  Now  call 
in  the  spectators  of  this  injustice,  the  sufferers  un- 
der his  administration;  show  the  plunder  which 
Felix  has  collected,  the  villages  smoking  under 
his  rapacious  edicts.  Let  them  hear  the  cries  of  his 
innocent  victims,  and  the  loud  appeals  to  Heaven, 
from  every  part  of  Judea,  against  the  cruelty  of  the 
unprincipled  procurator  ;  and  then  ask  them 
whether  Paul's  doctrine  is  true,  and  you  will  hear 
another  answer. 

It  appears,  then,  whatever  credit  we  may  refuse 
to  give  to  the  language  of  our  own  consciences  on 
this  subject,  we  are  ready  to  believe  in  a  retribu- 
tion to  come,  when  we  ourselves  suffer  injustice,  or 
when  we  see,  as  well  as  feel,  the  inconveniences  of 
the  imperfect  retribution  of  the  present  life. 
These  arc  arguments  which  strike  the  most  obtuse 


RETRIBUTION.  49 

understandings,  and  many  a  man  who  doubts  of  a 
doctrine  taught  him  by  his  conscience,  will  have 
no  longer  a  doubt,  when  the  same  doctrine  is  pre- 
sented to  him  by  his  sufferings,  or  by  his  passions. 

Besides  the  reproaches  of  conscience,  there  are 
the  pangs  of  mind  attendant  on  particular  evil 
passions,  such  as  the  pinings  of  envy,  the  heat  of 
rage,  the  goadings  of  ambition,  and  the  fears  of 
avarice,  all  of  which  are  indications  of  a  moral 
constitution,  and  are  avengers  of  the  divine  laws. 

These  proofs  of  a  moral  and  judicial  govern- 
ment are  much  more  numerous  than  a  superficial 
glance  at  society  would  lead  any  man  to  suppose. 
God  has  everywhere  innumerable  instruments  at 
his  disposal,  and  the  methods  by  which  he  may 
punish  offenders  here  on  earth  are  various,  far 
beyond  our  imagination  ;  and,  let  us  never  forget, 
that  the  process  may  be  going  on  in  the  mind, 
when  it  is  yet  utterly  imperceptible  to  others.  We 
should  not  be  so  much  disposed  to  doubt  the  equi- 
ty of  the  divine  administration,  and  to  regard  this 
world  as  a  scene  where  vice  is  often  unpunished, 
and  virtue  unrewarded,  if  we  were  not  so  much 
dazzled  by  external  circumstances  as  to  regard 
men's  visible  condition  as  the  indication  of  their 
happiness.  We  wonder  that  the  lightning  does 
not  blast  the  murderer,  or  the  earth  open  and 
swallow  up  the  blasphemer,  and  cry  'Doth  not 
God  see  ?'  when,  if  we  will  but  think,  we  shall  be 
satisfied  that  there  is  a  secret,  gradual,  and  certain 
process  continually  going  on  within,  which  is  the 
7 


50  SERMON  III. 

natural  retribution  which  God  has  appointed,  and 
which  is  quite  as  decided  an  indication  of  a  moral 
government,  to  those  who  will  attend  to  it,  as  if 
the  earth  opened,  or  the  thunderbolt  fell.  God 
indeed  causes  his  sun  to  shine,  and  his  rain  to  de- 
scend on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.  He  does  not 
give  us  a  visible  sign  from  heaven  to  resolve  our 
perplexities ;  but,  if  we  will  look  within,  we  shall 
find  the  sign  we  want. 

The  circumstances  we  have  now  enumerated 
are  abundantly  sufficient  to  prove  the  commence- 
ment of  a  moral  and  judicial  government.  Indeed 
men  do  not  in  general  deny  it.  They  see  the 
characters  written  on  the  wall,  and  it  is  only  when 
interest  or  passion  deceives  them,  that  they  fail  to 
discern  that  there  is  a  God  who  judgeth  in  the 
earth,  and  that  we  are  accountable  to  his  govern- 
ment. 

It  may  seem  extraordinary  that  we  should  have 
taken  so  much  pains  to  show  the  commencement 
of  a  retribution  here,  as  a  preliminary  to  the  proof 
of  a  retribution  hereafter.  Why  not  come  at  once 
to  the  arguments  for  a  future  life  and  judgment? 
But  it  ought  to  be  considered  that  it  is  only  from 
the  indications  of  a  moral  government  here,  that, 
exclusive  of  revelation,  we  can  infer  the  probabili- 
ty of  any  retribution  hereafter  ;  it  is  from  its  com- 
mencement here,  that  we  expect  its  continuance, 
and  from  its  imperfect  dispensation  in  this  world, 
that  we  infer  its  completion  and  perfection  in 
another. 


RETRIBUTION.  51 

II.  We  come  then  to  our  second  head,  where  it  is 
our  object  to  prove  that  while  there  are  so  many 
circumstances  to  demonstrate  the  existence  of  a 
moral  and  judicial  government  in  the  world,  there 
are  certain  facts  which  compel  us  to  believe  that 
its  execution  is  here  incomplete,  and  that  the  ap- 
parent inequalities  will  be  rectified.  From  among 
these  numerous  inequalities  and  defects  I  will 
mention  only  one,  which  strikes  me  with  peculiar 
force. 

It  is  very  easy  to  find  reasons  why  virtue  and 
piety  should  here  be  exposed  to  affliction.  Jt  not 
only  tries,  but  it  confirms  the  force  of  a  virtuous 
mind ;  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that 
such  a  state  as  ours,  where  there  is  one  event  alike 
to  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  is  perfectly 
proper  as  a  state  of  probation.  Indeed  I  know 
not  how  any  great  degree  of  virtue  could  exist, 
where  there  was  no  principle  of  religious  faith  in 
a  retribution  to  come ;  and  this  could  not,  and 
would  not  be,  if  temporal  reward  and  punishment 
easily  and  equitably  followed  every  degree  of 
virtue  and  vice.  But  though  such  a  condition  as 
our  present  state,  is  undoubtedly  calculated  to 
form  virtue,  it  is  not  a  state  so  well  calculated  to 
reward  it,  nor  to  punish  vice.  A  state  of  probation 
therefore  infallibly  conducts  us  to  a  state  of  retri- 
bution. 

The  instance  which  we  were  about  to  observe 
as  a  strong  indication  of  some  future  day  of  re- 
compense, is  this.     There  arc   numerous   exam- 


52  SERMON  III. 

pies  of  good  men  suffering,  on  the  very  account 
of  their  piety  and  integrity,  from  the  hands  of 
the  wicked.  Now,  how  much  soever  such  tri- 
als may  exercise  and  improve  the  character  of 
the  sufferer,  yet,  exclusive  of  a  life  to  come, 
such  virtue  not  only  seems  not  to  meet  with  any 
adequate  recompense,  but  does  not  appear  to 
answer  any  purpose  of  wisdom  and  goodness, 
but  to  be  punished  with  misery  and  destruction. 
Let  it  be  admitted  that  the  sufferings  of  the 
good  man  have  contributed  to  form  his  virtue ; 
yet,  if  there  be  no  future  recompense,  for  what 
is  it  formed  ?  To  be  destroyed  ?  What !  a  har- 
vest which  has  sprung  from  religion,  the  very 
root  and  principle  of  which  is  faith  in  God,  and 
the  hope  of  the  life  to  come,  and  yet  he,  who  doth 
nothing  in  vain,  hath  formed  such  virtue  in  vain  ? 
Impossible  !  What  we  know  and  have  seen  of  God 
will  not  allow  us  to  believe  this  disappointment, 
or  that  those  who  have  fallen  in  the  cause  of  virtue 
have  perished. 

And,  on  the  other  hand,  although,  as  we  have 
shown  before,  the  common  degrees  of  vice  find 
their  retribution  in  the  very  constitution  of  human 
nature,  and  the  course  of  providence,  yet  we  all 
know  that  the  most  hardened  depravity  is  often 
the  most  easy.  The  greatest  excesses  are  perpe- 
trated by  men  who  have  lost  the  sense  of  shame, 
the  fear  of  the  laws,  and  the  power  of  conscience. 
Surely  it  cannot  be  that  the  most  thorough  wick- 
edness and  the  most  eminent  virtue  are  unprovid- 


RETRIBUTION. 


53 


ed  for  in  the  administration  of  Providence.  No 
reflecting  man  can  believe  this.  The  reward  of 
those,  who,  by  their  uncommon  fidelity  to  virtue, 
lose  its  ordinary  advantages  here,  is  not  then  lost, 
but  only  reserved. 

III.  We  come  now  to  the  third  division  of  our 
discourse,  in  which  we  intended  to  inquire  what 
revelation  says  on  this  subject.  We  shall  find  that 
our  Saviour  not  only  declares  most  explicitly  a  re- 
tribution to  come,  but  also  describes,  in  language 
suited  to  our  finite  comprehension,  the  mode  in 
which  it  will  be  dispensed. 

Indeed  it  may  seem  almost  superfluous  to  quote 
from  the  scriptures,  in  support  of  this  doctrine ; 
for,  upon  the  supposition  of  its  truth,  all  the  in- 
structions of  our  Saviour  and  his  apostles  proceed. 
It  was  to  bring  it  to  light  that  our  Saviour  came 
into  the  world ;  it  is  on  his  death,  and  after  re- 
surrection, that  the  strongest  proof  of  our  future 
life  is  raised  ;  and  if  we  were  called  upon  to  give 
a  summary  of  the  gospel  itself,  I  know  not  how  it 
could  be  more  compendiously  stated,  than  to  say, 
that  God  will  assuredly  raise  mankind  to  another 
life,  and  judge  them  according  to  their  works,  by 
Jesus  Christ. 

'I  saw  the  dead,'  says  the  author  of  the  Book  of 
Revelation,  'stand  before  God,  small  and  great; 
and  the  books  were  opened,  and  the  dead  were 
judged  out  of  those  things  which  were  written  in 
the  books,  according  to  their  works.'  We  have  in 
other  places  a  description  of  the  future  retribution 


54,  SERMOH  III. 

in  the  forms  of  a  judicial  trial.  How  far  this  lan- 
guage is  accommodated  to  our  apprehensions,  and 
derived  from  the  forms  of  human  tribunals,  I  pre- 
sume not  to  say.  He,  however,  will  not  have  a 
less  powerful  and  religious  conception  of  this  final 
account,  who  considers  the  book  in  which  our  ac- 
tions are  recorded  as  the  mind  of  God,  who  sees 
at  a  glance  all  that  is  past,  present,  and  to  come  ; 
and  that  the  division  of  the  assembled  universe  to 
the  right  and  to  the  left  hand  of  the  Judge,  is  an 
expression  of  the  distinction,  the  everlasting  dis- 
tinction, of  the  character  and  fate  of  the  righteous 
and  the  wicked. 

Let  us  consider  a  few  more  of  the  scriptural  de- 
lineations of  this  great  event,  remembering  that 
whether  they  be  understood  literally  or  not,  is  of 
no  importance  as  to  the  reality  of  the  fact,  or  the 
final  issue  of  the  event;  for  this  much  is  certain, 
that  after  death  there  will  be  a  judicial  dispensa- 
tion of  rewards  and  punishments,  and  that  every 
soul  will  be  punished  or  rewarded,  in  whatever 
manner  this  may  be,  according  to  the  good  or  the 
evil  of  his  past  life. 

We  have  the  most  particular  account  of  this  day 
of  judgment  given  by  our  Saviour  himself,  in  the 
twentyfifth  chapter  of  Matthew.  Another  very  in- 
telligible description  of  the  diversity  of  the  re- 
wards in  the  future  life,  we  have,  in  the  parable  of 
the  talents,  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat. 
'We  must  all  appear  before  God,'  saith  St  Paul, 
'  that   every  one  may  receive  according   to   the 


RETRIBUTION.  ,,/, 

things  done  in  the  body,  whether  they  be  good  or 
whether  they  be  evil.' 

For  the  day  is  coming,  when  every  eye  shall 
see  him  who  was  once  on  earth  in  suffering  and 
humility,  despised  and  rejected  of  men  ;  but  when 
he  shall  appear  it  shall  be  in  power  and  great  glo- 
ry ;  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  shall  descend  from 
heaven  with  a  shout,  and  with  the  voice  of  the 
archangel  and  the  trump  of  God.  In  a  moment, 
in  a  twinkling  of  an  eye,  those  who  are  alive  shall 
be  changed.  The  men  who  shall  call  upon  the 
rocks  to  shelter  and  the  mountains  to  crush  them, 
shall  find  the  hills  melt,  and  the  foundations  of  the 
earth,  and  all  nature  passing  away  like  a  scroll. 
Watch,  then,  for  ye  know  not  the  day,  nor  the  hour. 
And  however  we  may  amuse  ourselves  with  the 
thought,  that  these  desriptions  are  accommodated 
to  our  gross  and  finite  apprehensions,  and  that  the 
literal  language  of  the  scriptures  will  not  be  ac- 
complished, of  this  fact  we  have  all  the  assurance 
which  the  word  of  God  can  give  us,  that  we  must 
stand  before  him,  to  receive  according  to  the  deeds 
done  in  the  body ;  and  then  the  wicked  shall  be 
punished  with  everlasting  destruction  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord  and  the  glory  of  his  power, 
and  the  righteous  shall  enter  to  his  joy,  and  live 
forever  with  Jesus  Christ,  in  those  mansions 
which  he  is  preparing,  and  which  were  designed 
for  them  before  the  foundations  of  the  world. 
'What  I  say  unto  you,'  then,  in  the  words  of  our 
Lord,  '  I  say  unto  all,  Watch.' 


SERMON  IV. 


THE  DISCLOSURES  OF  THE  FUTURE  JUDGMENT. 

Romans,  II.   16. 
In  the  day  when  god  shall  judge  the  secrets  of  men  BY  JESUS 

CHRIST,  ACCORDING  TO  MY  GOSPEL. 

Our  remarks  this  afternoon  will  relate  to  the 
great  importance  of  the  doctrine,  which  we  con- 
sidered this  morning,  of  a  future  judgment,  es- 
pecially when  it  is  viewed  as  a  revelation  of  the 
secrets  of  all  hearts. 

When  we  reflect  on  the  insufficiency  of  hu- 
man laws,  the  vast  sum  of  evil  against  which  hu- 
man legislation  cannot  provide,  and  the  vast 
amount  of  good  for  which  this  world  and  its  laws 
neither  offer  nor  procure  a  recompense,  we  feel 
the  importance  of  this  doctrine  of  a  judgment  to 
come.  When  we  are  impatient  at  the  long  re- 
sounding groans  of  a  land  in  bondage,  and  the  in- 
quiry is  awakened  whether  there  is  not  verily  a 
reward  for  the  righteous,  let  us  consider  that 
these  are  visible  and  public  evils ;  but  let  us  ask 
also,  what  shall  be  the  retribution  for  all  that  hy- 


FUTURE  JUDGMENT.  57 

pocrisy,  which  has  enjoyed  the  favor  of  the  world? 
What  shall  be  the  fate  of  those  who  have  escaped 
the  detection  of  all  but  their  own  consciences  ? 
Shall  there  be  no  account  taken  of  those  sinful  in- 
clinations, which  have  never  ripened  into  acts;  of 
those  wicked  intentions,  which  death  or  accident 
has  frustrated ;  no  retribution  for  ingratitude, 
treachery,  and  many  other  offences  of  which  nei- 
ther the  tribunal  of  public  opinion  nor  of  public 
law,  is  empowered  to  take  cognizance  ? 

Let  us  remember  also,  that  the  laws  of  society 
are  full  of  threats  and  penalties,  but  barren  of  re- 
wards. They  repress  only  the  greatest  crimes, 
and  have  no  recompense  for  the  greatest  virtues. 
The  world  offers  little  encouragement  for  secret 
and  unpretending  goodness.  Will  there  not  then 
be  a  day  of  judgment,  when  it  shall  not  be  forgot- 
ten who  have  secretly  cast  their  mite,  even  all 
their  living,  into  the  treasury  of  human  virtue  and 
happiness  ? 

The  doctrine  of  a  God,  from  whom  nothing  is 
hidden,  and  whose  future  judgment  no  creature 
can  escape,  is  the  very  keystone  of  all  the  reli- 
gions in  the  world.  Take  it  away  and  society  be- 
comes a  desolate  mass  of  ruins.  While  then  we 
feel  the  value  of  this  doctrine  as  Christians  and 
believers  in  God,  what  shall  we  think  of  those 
men,  who,  because  they  will  not  listen  to  the  de- 
clarations of  the  Son  of  God,  are  yet  willing,  not 
only  to  despoil  the  believer  of  his  hope,  but  sec, 
without  alarm,  the  foundations  of  human  virtue  bro- 
3 


58  SERMON  IV. 

ken  up,  and  all  the  fidelity  of  promises,  the  force 
of  oaths,  and  every  hold  which  truth  and  virtue 
give  us  upon  one  another,  left  to  the  protection 
of  an  undefined  and  variable  sense  of  honor, 
which  is,  to  say  the  most,  as  perishable  as  the 
creatures  whom  it  governs. 

Thus  much  we  have  thought  proper  to  repeat 
of  the  truth  and  importance  of  this  doctrine,  not 
because  your  faith  in  it  is  weak,  but  to  prepare 
you  for  the  consideration  of  that  circumstance 
mentioned  in  the  text,  that  God  will,  in  that  day, 
judge  the  secrets  of  men.  Leave  out  but  this  sin- 
gle fact,  that  the  secrets  of  all  hearts  shall  then  be 
revealed  for  the  purpose  of  an  equitable  decision, 
and  we  leave  out  the  most  interesting  and  solemn 
of  the  circumstances  which  attend  the  scene  of 
judgment. 

What  a  day  will  that  be,  which  shall  uncover 
the  vast  repository  of  human  secrets  ?  which  shall 
lay  bare  the  concealed  crimes,  the  forgotten  fol- 
lies, and  the  unacknowledged  motives  of  all  the 
thoughtless  actors  in  this  busy  world  ;  the  hidden 
purposes,  wishes,  fears,  sorrows,  and  miseries  of 
every  creature  that  has  ever  been  endowed  with 
thought ;  the  unregarded  virtues,  the  ill  requited 
goodness,  the  undervalued  worth  of  the  children 
of  heaven ;  in  one  word,  which  shall  expose  all 
that  man  has  loved,  all  that  he  has  dreaded,  de- 
sired, or  intended  !  The  thought  is  too  great  for 
us  to  feel  its  force,  and  we  must  attend  to  it  in 
parts,  that,  by  enumerating,  we  may  strengthen 
rather  than  weaken  the  force  of  the  persuasion. 


FUTURE  JUDGMENT.  ./ ) 

Then  shall  God  expose  to  view  the  many  de- 
liberate acts  of  hypocrisy,  which  have  defied  all 
human  scrutiny.  Then  it  will  be  seen  what  trusts 
were  broken,  what  perjuries  committed,  and  what 
equivocations  were  contrived  by  the  deceitful 
dealer,  to  amass  and  keep  his  illgotten  wealth ; 
for  his  wealth  will  then  no  longer  purchase  him 
concealment  and  security.  Then  will  the  testi- 
mony of  those  who  have  been  taken  off  by  secret 
violence,  rise  in  one  dreadful  reclamation  before 
the  tribunal  of  eternal  justice,  and  the  groans  of 
the  injured  and  forgotten  overwhelm  the  trium- 
phant oppressor.  Then  will  those  dazzling  and 
awe-commanding  crimes,  which  have  deluded  the 
whole  world,  be  laid  bare  to  the  indignation  of  the 
meanest  sufferer  from  the  oppression  of  the  usur- 
per. Then  will  many  an  object  of  mistaken  admi- 
ration be  exposed  ;  the  formal  saint  who  believed 
nothing;  the  smiling  calumniator  who  meant  no- 
thing;  the  unprofitable  man  who  did  nothing  but 
purchase,  by  his  professions,  a  temporary  estima- 
tion. Then  will  the  false  witness,  and  the  cor- 
rupt judge,  the  incendiary  and  the  hidden  crimi- 
nal, whether  small  or  great,  stand  revealed  in  the 
light  of  his  countenance,  whose  eyes  arc  as  a 
flame  of  fire,  and  whose  understanding  is  infinite. 

Then  will  be  disclosed  the  motives  of  those  ac- 
tions which  have  either  received  the  applause  of 
mankind,  or  been  the  subject  of  doubtful  or  timid 
condemnation.  We  shall  see  at  what  the  patriot 
aspired,  when  he  pushed  himself  into  the  notice 


(JO  SERMON  IV. 

of  his  countrymen  ;  what  the  orator  meant  when 
he  poured  out  his  honied  words ;  and  the  preach- 
er when  he  awakened  the  hopes  or  fears  of  his 
auditory.  Then  the  public  declarations  of  those 
who  directed  the  affairs  of  the  times  in  which  they 
lived,  and  changed  the  fortunes  of  a  nation,  will 
be  compared  with  their  purposes  and  wishes,  and 
the  history  of  the  world  be  read,  not  in  the  page 
of  the  eloquent  historian,  but  in  the  records  of 
eternal  truth. 

Then  shall  be  known  also,  wherefore  the  believ- 
er in  Christianity  has  been  ashamed  to  profess  it, 
and  how  far  the  multitude  of  professors  have  acted 
up  to  their  profession.  Then  it  shall  be  discover- 
ed how  much  of  all  the  vast  contributions  of  char- 
ity in  the  christian  world,  has  been  given  not 
grudgingly  and  of  necessity,  and  how  much  of  all 
that  has  been  bestowed  on  the  relief  of  human 
misery,  was  truly  given  to  relieve  it. 

Then  shall  men  be  made  known  to  themselves. 
To  every  individual  his  own  character  will  be  re- 
vealed which  had  been  so  often,  and  so  strangely 
misapprehended  by  himself.  These  discoveries 
indeed  will  be  enough  to  cover  the  best  of  men 
with  temporary  confusion  ;  for  when  we  come  to 
understand  the  strange  mixture  of  the  motives 
which  have  governed  us,  the  confusion  of  better 
and  meaner  principles,  of  zeal  with  passion,  of 
humility  with  disappointed  ambition,  good  con- 
science with  spiritual  pride,  charity  with  the  de- 
sire of  estimation,  love  of  truth  with  love  of  par- 


FUTURE  JUDGMENT.  fil 

adox,  integrity  with  obstinacy,  honor  with  base 
fear,  correct  sentiment  with  pride  of  opinion,  love 
of  peace  with  indolence  and  cowardice,  and  van- 
ity, that  most  delusive  of  our  motives,  with  all  the 
rest,  the  best  man  will  be  astonished,  and  the  worst 
be  terrified  at  the  labyrinths  of  his  own  character. 

But  there  is  yet  another,  and  a  deeper  abyss  of 
secrets  to  be  broken  up,  and  that  is,  of  the  before 
unknown  and  unacknowledged  miseries  of  human- 
kind. What  a  sound  of  groans  issues  at  this  open- 
ing of  the  depths  of  human  sorrows  ;  how  many 
voices,  hardly  ever  heard  before,  now  utter  their 
piercing  cries  before  the  assembled  universe.  Now 
shall  be  seen  how  much  more  impartial  has  been 
that  moral  retribution  here  on  earth,  than  we  had 
ever  imagined,  and  how  unfounded  have  been  our 
accusations  of  providence  for  the  apparent  ine- 
qualities of  its  distribution.  For  then  will  be  re- 
vealed the  secret  worm  which  has  been  gnawing 
for  years  in  many  a  proud  heart ;  and  the  unac- 
knowledged fears  which  have  pursued  the  wick- 
ed; and  the  dismay  which,  in  the  hour  of  danger 
and  of  death,  has  overwhelmed  many  a  secret  sin- 
ner, will  now  betray  itself  to  the  observer. 

Then  will  be  revealed  the  many  vexations  which 
men  have  made  for  themselves  by  their  evil  and 
dissocial  humours  ;  the  secret  stings  of  impotent 
resentment,  the  long  concealed  gnawings  of  envy, 
the  mortifications  of  vanity,  and  the  wastings  of 
discontent ;  the  distressing  doubts  of  many  a  pro- 
found philosopher  and  g  freethinker,  and 


(32  SERMON  IV. 

the  secret  mournings  of  many  an  awakened  con- 
science. Then  will  be  shown  the  long  roll  of  do- 
mestic vexations,  the  fruits  of  evil  humour,  the 
secret  sorrows  of  parents,  the  sleepless  nights  of 
those,  who,  with  narrow  means,  have  many  to  pro- 
vide for,  and  the  still  more  painful  watchings  of 
those  who  have  had  the  care  of  great  estates. 
Then  will  be  revealed  the  unacknowledged  pangs 
of  jealousy,  of  hopeless  love,  the  stings  of  false- 
hood, 

'  And  hard  unkindness'  altered  eye 
That  mocks  the  tear  it  forced  to  flow,' 

the  spectres  which  have  haunted  the  sleep  of  the 
weak,  and  the  steps  of  the  guilty  ;  and  last  of  all, 
the  horrors  which  many,  whom  the  world  has  en- 
vied, have  met,  when  they  entered  on  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death. 

Then,  too,  will  be  revealed  innumerable  purpo- 
ses which  have  been  formed,  and  left  unexecuted. 
Then  shall  we  know  the  plan  of  life  which  the 
young  man,  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  his  days,  had 
drawn  for  himself;  the  dreams  of  the  speculator  ; 
the  visions  of  the  scholar  ;  the  hopes  of  parents 
for  their  children  ;  and  the  aspirations  of  those 
who  had  just  begun  to  take  a  part  in  the  conten- 
tions of  the  times.  Then  will  be  known  how 
much  evil  has  been  intended,  which  accident  has 
frustrated,  how  much  good  has  been  promised,  of 
which  the  promise  was  forgotten,  how  much 
amendment  resolved  upon,  but  defeated  by  delay. 


FUTURE  JUDGMENT.  63 

What  a  pitiable  spectacle  then  will  be  presented 
of  half  honest  confessions,  unexecuted  resolutions, 
and  of  sins  almost  forsaken  !  What  a  scene  will 
open  upon  the  recollection  of  every  one  of  us,  of 
expectations  never  answered,  wishes  never  ac- 
knowledged, pursuits  never  fully  approved,  or 
faintly  followed  ;  and  progress  always  intended, 
but  never  made. 

But  will  all  the  disclosures  of  that  tremendous 
day  be  of  this  painful,  and  melancholy  character  ? 
I  hope  not,  my  hearers  !  When  this  assembly  shall 
stand  before  the  tribunal  of  omniscient  retribution, 
I  hope  we  shall  find  there  revealed  some  good 
deeds,  and  some  good  intentions,  which  were  not 
before  known,  and  which  God  will  confirm  by  the 
records  of  his  book  of  life.  Let  us  hope  that 
many  a  character  will  then  be  cleared  up,  which 
is  now  clouded  by  the  suspicions  of  a  censorious 
world,  and  that  many  will  awake  and  shake  them- 
selves from  the  dust,  and  put  on  their  beautiful 
garments,  because  their  warfare  is  accomplished, 
and  their  time  of  redemption  is  come.  Then  it 
shall  be  known  with  what  patience  and  humility 
many  followers  of  our  master  have  waited  for  this 
day;  and  the  secret  alms,  the  drops  of  water 
given  to  the  parched  lips  of  the  sufferer,  the  secret 
prayers  put  up  for  others,  the  secret  sorrows  of 
the  righteous  for  those  vices  and  miseries  they 
could  not  prevent,  in  short,  all  that  humble  virtue 
which  was  hardly  known  to  the  virtuous  himself, 
will  then  be  revealed,  not  to  magnify  the  authors, 


(54  SERMON  IV. 

but  to  vindicate  the  equitable  providence  of  God, 
who  is  the  eternal  patron  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness. 

It  is  also  one  of  the  affecting  circumstances  of 
this  scene  of  retribution,  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  will  remember  what  his  friends  and  disciples 
will  have  forgotten ;  they  will  be  insensible,  or 
rather  surprised  at  the  deeds  of  which  he  reminds 
them,  and  say,  '  when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered 
and  fed  thee,  or  thirsty,  and  gave  thee  drink,  or 
naked,  and  clothed  thee,  or  sick  and  in  prison,  and 
came  unto  thee  ?  Then  shall  the  judge  say  unto 
them,  inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the 
least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto 
me.'  What  a  scene  of  recompense  is  this  !  Can 
we  hope,  my  hearers,  that  we  shall  then  be  re- 
minded of  good  deeds  forgotten,  and  informed  of 
virtues  which  we  never  suspected  in  ourselves? 
'Whosoever  shall  humble  himself  as  a  little  child, 
the  same  shall  be  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of 
Heaven.' 

Seeing  then  we  know  that  there  is  such  a  day 
approaching,  what  manner  of  persons  ought  we 
to  be,  in  all  holy  conversation  and  godliness. 
Surely  it  ought  above  all  things  to  encourage  us 
in  that  virtue  without  which  no  other  can  exist, 
that  great  virtue  of  sincerity !  What  man  can 
quietly  allow  himself  in  falsehood  or  equivocation, 
who  knows  that  his  idle  words  are  now  recorded, 
and  will  be  remembered  to  his  confusion  ;  that  his 
false  promises  will  be  proclaimed  before  the  as- 


FUTURE  JUDGMENT.  i;;, 

sembled  universe,  and  all  the  treachery  of  his 
social  intercourse  laid  hare.  What  a  motive  is  it 
to  the  utmost  simplicity  and  ingenuousness  of 
character,  that  God  is  not  for  a  moment  deceived 
by  that  equivocation,  which  marks  the  conduct  of 
many  men  who  have  their  points  to  gain,  but  who 
are  not  otherwise  absolutely  corrupt. 

Again.  The  thought  of  a  judgment  to  come 
ought  to  be  a  restraint  upon  every  excess  of  sen- 
suality, every  tendency  to  profligacy.  Look  up, 
O  sinner,  in  the  heat  of  thy  passion,  when  the 
sound  of  mirth  has  lulled,  and  the  tide  of  pleasure 
begun  to  ebb,  for  thou  hast  known  such  moments, 
look  up, and  see  the  writing  on  the  wall,  'This  night 
thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee  ;  and  then  whose 
shall  these  things  be  ?  '  And  where  shalt  thou  be  ? 
Wilt  thou  go  and  present  thyself  in  the  robes  of  thy 
guilt  before  the  tribunal  of  thy  God? 

Let  the  thought  of  this  scene  of  final  trial  lessen 
our  pride  and  vanity ;  for,  at  that  bar,  men  will 
appear  as  they  are,  and  not  as  we  have  thought 
them  to  be.  What  then?  Will  the  petty  distinc- 
tions of  which  we  are  so  ambitious,  the  beauty, 
the  fine  form,  the  grace  of  action,  the  wealth,  the 
splendour,  the  whole  apparatus  of  human  vanity 
disappear,  and  leave  not  a  fragment  for  our  com- 
placent regard  to  fix  upon  in  that  great  day  ?  What 
is  it  then,  my  hearers,  that  so  many  of  us  are  con- 
tending for,  praying,  sinning,  living,  and  dying  for? 
'The  fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away.5 

9 


66  SERMON  IV. 

The  thought  of  this  day,  when  the  secret  sor- 
rows of  so  many  hearts  will  be  revealed,  should 
guard  us  against  all  uncharitableness ;  for  with 
what  judgment  we  judge  shall  we  be  judged,  and 
with  what  measure  we  mete  shall  it  be  measured 
to  us  again.  Where  is  the  man  who  would  not 
shrink  to  have  his  own  heart  laid  bare,  before  the 
very  meanest  creature  whom  he  has  regarded  un- 
charitably ?  My  friends,  in  that  day  we  shall  in- 
deed stand  in  need  of  favour  ;  we  shall  not  disdain 
the  complacent  regard  of  the  most  humble  of  our 
fellow  creatures. 

If  these  considerations  teach  us  charity,  how 
much  more  should  they  teach  us  forgiveness ! 
Have  we  ever  thought  how  much  we  have  to  be 
forgiven ;  and  can  we,  with  a  debt  of  a  thousand 
talents  unpaid,  oppress  a  poor  creature  who  has 
besought  us  to  have  patience  with  him  till  he  could 
discharge  his  hundred  pence  ? 

Lastly.  The  belief  of  this  judgment  to  come 
should  not  only  fortify  our  minds  against  unjust 
accusations,  and  unexpected  misfortunes,  but  it 
should  also  inspire  us  with  the  utmost  submission 
and  contentment  under  the  changing  and  unequal 
circumstances  of  the  present  life.  Especially  let 
those  take  comfort  whose  fond  hopes  in  others 
have  been  blasted.  This  maze  of  events,  so  dark 
and  unaccountable  to  human  apprehension,  will 
then  be  cleared  up  to  the  eye  of  faith  and  piety. 
Meanwhile,  let  us  not  be  deceived  ;  God  is  not 
mocked  ;  that  which  every  man  soweth   here  he 


FUTURE  JUDGMENT.  (37 

shall  reap  hereafter.  Though  the  righteous  be 
prevented  by  death,  yet  shall  he  be  at  rest,  and 
the  sinner  though  an  hundred  years  old,  shall  be 
condemned.  Be  not  governed  by  present  ap- 
pearances ;  judge  nothing  before  the  time ;  wait 
the  issue  of  this  scene  of  probation  ;  for  it  is  ap- 
pointed unto  all  men  once  to  die,  and,  after  death, 
the  judgment. 


SERMON  V. 


THE  FUTURE  STATE  OF  THE  JUST. 
1    Corinthians,  XIII.   10. 

WHEN    THAT  WHICH  IS  PERFECT    IS    COME,    THAT  WHICH    IS    IN   PART 
SHALL,    BE  DONE  AWAY. 

The  contemplation  of  the  life  to  come,  is  the 
frequent  employment  of  every  Christian  whose 
faith  in  the  gospel  is  firm  and  practical.  The  dis- 
cipline of  Christianity  is  rendered  effectual  by 
presenting  to  us  motives  drawn  from  another  life, 
adapted  to  overcome  the  temptations,  and  to  sup- 
port the  trials  of  the  present. 

A  subject,  then,  which  must  naturally  present 
itself  so  often  to  the  minds  of  the  Christian,  ought 
to  be  as  distinctly  and  justly  comprehended  as 
the  information  of  scripture,  and  the  suggestions 
of  reason  will  allow.  It  was  no  doubt  intended 
by  the  Author  of  our  salvation,  to  leave  his  follow- 
ers the  most  satisfactory  assurance  of  a  future  life  ; 
but  he  has  furnished  us  with  no  more  definite  ideas 
of  the  nature  and  mode  of  that  life,  than  are  ne- 
cessary for  the  practical  influence  of  the  general 


ON  THE  FUTURE  LIFE.  <;<) 

truth.  Still  it  is  permitted  us,  to  put  together  the 
scattered  intimations  contained  in  scripture,  and 
compare  them  with  the  suggestions  of  reason  and 
the  analogies  to  which  we  can  have  access,  and 
thus  to  form  some  faint  notions  of  the  future  world. 
Though  the  remarks,  which  will  now  be  oifercd  to 
you,  may  fall  short  of  the  indistinct  and  exalted 
conceptions  you  may  have  formed  of  the  future 
state  of  existence,  they  will  not,  I  hope,  be  thought 
contradictory  to  the  most  obvious  meaning  of  the 
scripture  language,  which  is  highly  figurative,  or 
to  the  suggestions  of  the  soundest  reason. 

It  is  indeed  impossible  for  us  to  conceive  of  a 
future  life,  except  according  to  the  ideas  which 
we  have  derived  from  our  present  condition,  or  to 
express  them  in  any  other  words  than  such  as  con- 
vey sensible  images.  My  object  in  this  discourse 
will  be,  not  so  much  to  give  definite  conceptions 
of  scenes  which  we  can  know  only  after  our  de- 
parture from  these,  as  to  guard  against  some  er- 
roneous imaginations  which  may  render  our  belief 
in  a  future  existence  less  efficacious  than  it  ought 
to  be. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  wherever  we  may  exist 
hereafter,  we  shall  not  cease  to  be  men.  Our  hu- 
man nature  will  not  be  changed  into  the  angelic, 
nor  shall  we  constitute  a  different  order  of  beings. 
It  is  true  our  Lord  has  said,  that  they  who  arc 
worthy  to  attain  that  world,  neither  marry  nor  arc 
given  in  marriage,  but  are  as  the  angels  of  light. 
This  change,   however,   in  our  condition,   results, 


70  SERMON  V. 

as  we  may  well  suppose,  from  our  freedom  from 
these  material  bodies ;  and  the  language  of  our 
Saviour  is  rather  a  precaution  against  the  sensual 
fancies  of  those  who  would  transfer  to  heaven  the 
delights  of  a  terrestrial  paradise,  than  any  speci- 
fic description  of  the  future  world.  We  shall  not, 
however,  be  transformed  into  a  superior  order  of 
spirits,  as  angels  are  imagined  to  be ;  for  if  this 
were  to  be  the  case,  there  would  be  no  propriety 
in  saying  that  we  should  be  like  them. 

What  then  !  are  not  all  our  imperfections  to  be 
removed  ?  Are  We  to  continue  to  be  frail,  limited, 
finite  creatures  ?  Must  we  still  be  men  ?  I  hope 
there  is  no  presumption  in  replying,  that  we  must. 
For  is  man,  the  work  of  God,  the  image  of  the  su- 
preme intellect,  so  poor  and  worthless  a  creature 
that  his  nature  is  not  worthy  of  being  continued  ? 
Let  us  learn  to  think  more  worthily  of  our  desti- 
nation. If  man  has  been  granted  so  exalted  a 
place  in  the  infinite  works  of  the  Creator,  he  is  no 
doubt  worthy  of  being  continued  in  that  exalted 
station.  We  find  nothing  in  what  we  are  allowed 
to  observe  in  the  works  of  God,  which  indicates 
that  any  chasm  is  to  be  left  in  the  scale  of  being, 
by  the  transformation  of  one  rank  into  another. 
The  plan  of  God  appears  to  be  the  progressive  im- 
provement of  the  individuals  of  a  species,  not  the 
gratification  of  that  vain  ambition  by  which  '  men 
would  be  angels,  angels  would  be  gods.' 

Not  only  may  we  conclude  that  our  human  na- 
ture will  be  preserved,  but  that  every  individual 


ON  THE  FUTURE  LIFE.  7  1 

also,  will  retain  his  own  individual  nature,  or  that 
which  distinguishes  him  from  every  other  person. 
Every  man  has  his  peculiar  capacity,  or  disposi- 
tion, which  he  brought  with  him  into  the  world,  or 
which  he  has  acquired  by  diligent  cultivation,  and 
we  have  no  reason  to  imagine  that  these  discrim- 
inating properties  of  his  character  are  to  be  abol- 
ished by  the  dissolution  of  his  body.  In  the  future 
world,  as  in  the  present,  an  harmonious  whole  will 
no  doubt  be  composed  by  every  one's  filling  his 
proper  place  ;  by  every  description  of  mind  find- 
ing its  proper  rank,  employment,  and  happiness ; 
but  we  have  reason  to  expect  a  far  more  perfect 
state  than  the  present,  because  composed  of  bet- 
ter spirits.  There,  no  doubt,  as  well  as  here,  the 
degrees  of  happiness  will  be  as  various  as  the  di- 
versities of  attainments  in  knowledge  and  virtue. 
It  will  be  enough  to  secure  the  perfection  of  that 
state,  that  every  one  may  strive  for  higher  degrees 
of  virtue  and  happiness  without  envy;  enjoy  what 
is  peculiar  to  himself,  and  proceed  towards  the 
highest  points  of  human  perfection,  without  in- 
terruption from  the  cares,  the  passions,  and  the 
sorrows  of  this  life. 

But  there  will  also  be  an  intimate  connexion 
between  the  future  life,  and  the  present.  The 
future  will  in  fact  be  the  continuation  of  the  pre- 
sent. It  will  be  the  further  evolution  of  the  ener- 
gies of  this  ;  the  fruit  of  what  is  now  sown  ;  the 
maturity  of  what  is  now  just  appearing  ;  the  con- 
summation of  what  is  now  imperfect. 


72  SERMON  V. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  we  should 
keep  in  view  the  close  and  indissoluble  connexion 
of  these  two  stages  of  our  existence.  It  is  this 
alone  which  gives  any  rational  efficacy  to  the 
grand  doctrine  drawn  from  our  immortality,  that 
anything  done  here  by  us,  has  a  bearing  upon  fu- 
turity. It  would  be  of  no  moral  consequence  to 
tell  mankind,  that  they  would  be  hereafter  newly 
created,  to  enter  another  course  of  being,  which 
had  no  reference  to  the  present,  and  was  in  no 
degree  dependent  on  it.  No  !  the  solemnity,  the 
unspeakable  efficacy  of  the  doctrine  of  a  future 
life,  results  from  this  ;  that  the  two  existences  are 
so  intimately  and  inseparably  joined,  that  the  one 
determines  the  other.  Death  is  but  the  lifting  up 
of  the  curtain  which  divides  them,  and  the  most 
trilling  action  or  neglect  lias  the  same  influence 
upon  the  character  and  condition  of  man  after 
death,  that  it  has  in  this  life. 

How  truly  interesting  is  this  thought !  If  no  man 
can  enter  hereafter  on  any  joys  for  which  he  has 
no  taste,  or  employments  for  which  he  is  not  here 
qualified  ;  if  the  change,  in  fact,  into  another  life, 
furnishes  us  with  nothing  which  we  do  not  carry 
out  of  this,  gives  us  no  merits  which  we  do  not 
now  possess,  and  supplies  none  of  our  wilful  neg- 
lects or  losses,  but  God  strictly  renders  to  every 
man  according  to  his  deeds,  can  I  utter  a  truth 
more  alarming  to  the  slothful,  the  insensible,  or 
the  hardened  sinner  ?  And  this  it  is,  my  friends, 
which  gives  such  dignity  and  sublimity  to  the  vir- 


ON  THE  FUTURE  LIFE.  73 

tuc  of  a  Christian,  that  he  is  thinking  and  acting 
for  eternity  ;  not  for  a  posthumous  applause  in  the 
mouths  of  a  perishable  race  of  mortal  men,  but 
for  the  eternal  existence,  on  which  he  will  person- 
ally enter,  and  for  the  approbation  of  that  Being, 
who  is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting. 

What  has  now  been  said  of  the  intimate  con- 
nexion of  these  two  states  of  existence,  and  the 
fact  that  it  will  be  the  same  unaltered  nature 
which  is  to  exist  here  and  hereafter,  is  illustrated 
and  confirmed  by  the  christian  doctrine  of  a  re- 
surrection. The  language  of  scripture  leads  us  to 
expect  that  a  spiritual  body  will  succeed  to  the 
present  animal  structure.  This  surely  would  not 
be  provided,  if  it  were  not  absolutely  essential  to 
the  nature  and  continued  personality  of  man,  that 
he  should  have  some  kind  of  organization.  If  so, 
then  we  may  suppose  that  hereafter  we  shall  con- 
tinue to  receive  ideas,  to  exercise  memory,  and  to 
perform  other  mental  acts,  by  some  organs  to  sup- 
ply the  place  of  the  present,  however  more  they 
may  be  refined,  or  more  exquisitely  developed 
than  the  present. 

I  should  not  venture  to  introduce  such  remarks 
as  these,  so  evidently  beyond  a  living  man's  obser- 
vation, if  we  were  not  in  some  measure  counte- 
nanced by  the  language  of  St  Paul  in  that  remark- 
able chapter  of  Corinthians,  where  tli3  apostle 
has  so  repeatedly  spoken  of  the  spiritual  body 
which  is  to  succeed  this  corruptible  frame,  and 
even  illustrated  it  by  a  comparison  which  is  full  of 
10 


74  SERMON  V. 

significancy.  'But  some  will  say,  how  can  the 
dead  rise,  and  with  what  body  will  they  come  ? 
Knowest  thou  not,  that  which  thou  sovvest  is  not 
quickened  except  it  die  ?  What  is  it  that  dies  ? 
Is  it  not  the  covering  of  the  grain,  while  the  germ 
subsists,  unfolds,  and  fructifies  ? ' 

Again ;  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that 
the  next  life  will  be,  like  the  present,  progressive  ; 
and  not  only  so,  but  that  the  degree  of  knowledge 
and  virtue  which  we  have  here  attained,  will  be 
the  point  from  which  we  begin  our  progress  here- 
after, and  determine  the  place  we  shall  there  oc- 
cupy. The  successive  moments  of  our  terrestrial 
existence  have  been  indissolubly  connected  one 
with  the  other.  Everything  in  the  works  of  God 
proceeds  by  regular  progress  and  gradation. 
Death  breaks  not  the  chain,  but  is  only  the  link, 
connecting  the  present  and  the  future  life.  The 
degree  of  virtue  acquired  here,  then,  by  any  indi- 
vidual, will  determine  the  degree  of  happiness  or 
glory  to  be  enjoyed  hereafter.  The  language  of 
revelation  expressly  establishes  this  opinion  of  the 
diversities  and  degrees  of  future  happiness  and 
glory.  '  To  whom  much  is  given,  of  him  much 
will  be  required  ;  and  to  him  who  hath  here,  will 
be  given  hereafter.'  '  God  will  reward  every  man 
according  to  his  works.'  Hear  the  language  of 
the  Apostle.  '  There  is  one  glory  of  the  sun, 
and  another  glory  of  the  moon,  and  another  glory 
of  the  stars;  for  one  star  differeth  from  another 
star  in  glory.  So  also  will  it  be  at  the  resurection 
of  the  dead.' 


ON  THE  FUTURE  LIFE.  75 

And  not  only  will  the  happiness  of  the  future 
world  be  enjoyed  in  innumerable  stages  and  de- 
grees, but  the  progress  from  this  point  will  be  per- 
petual, and  infinite.  One  degree  of  excellence 
leads  of  itself  to  another  ;  and  as  the  distance  be- 
tween created  beings,  and  the  uncreated  God,  be- 
tween finite  and  infinite,  is  essentially  and  necessa- 
rily infinite,  so  may  we  be  continually  tending  to- 
wards supreme  perfection  without  ever  reaching 
it.  Is  not  this  more  rational,  than  that  the  perfec- 
tion of  which  we  are  ultimately  capable  should 
burst  upon  us  at  once  ?  We  are  led  to  the  most 
unpleasant  foreboding,  from  the  appearance  of  pre- 
mature capacity  on  earth ;  we  look  upon  it  as 
something  which  violates  the  order  and  beauty  of 
God's  arrangement;  and  shall  we  imagine  that 
heaven  will  be  less  harmonious  than  earth,  or 
that  the  orderly  progress  towards  perfection  will 
be  disturbed  by  the  intervention  of  death  ? 

Many  pious  and  philosophical  minds  have  in- 
dulged themselves  in  imagining  the  progress  of 
the  renovated  man  through  the  future  stages  of 
existence.  With  the  whole  universe  before  them, 
they  have  followed  the  emancipated  spirit  in 
boundless  excursions  from  planet  to  planet,  sun  to 
sun,  and  system  to  system,  through  the  immensity 
of  space.  These  contemplations  are  not  to  be 
hastily  condemned.  They  serve  to  raise  the  soul 
above  the  petty  and  contracting  cares  of  the  pres- 
ent life,  and  to  make  us  feel  more  of  the  sublim- 
ity and  grandeur  of  the  expectations  which  Chris- 


76  SERMON  V. 

tianity  awakens.  The  future  state  of  the  just,  we 
have  every  reason  to  believe,  will  be  a  state  of  great 
activity,  and  constant  advancement  in  knowledge. 
But  let  us  not  confine  our  notions  of  our  progress 
in  another  life,  to  the  mere  enlargement  of  our 
knowledge.  We  may  hope  that  we  shall  there 
find  goodness  more  in  honor  than  knowledge,  or 
rather,  that  the  one  will  be  made  inseparable  from 
the  other.  If  we  may  venture  to  speak  of  those 
pursuits,  which  will  be  most  interesting  hereafter 
to  virtuous  and  pious  minds,  they  will  not  be  the 
natural  history  of  other  worlds,  or  the  astronomy 
of  other  systems,  so  much  as  the  knowledge 
which  will  be  communicated  to  us  of  the  history 
of  God's  providence  ;  the  reasons  of  many  of 
those  events  which  have  now  perplexed  our  phi- 
losophy, and  eluded  our  search  ;  the  light  which 
will  be  thrown  upon  God's  moral  government 
of  the  world.  How  interesting,  too,  will  be  the 
mere  knowledge  of  ourselves,  of  our  past  pro- 
gress, of  the  causes  which  have  interrupted,  the 
trials,  the  privations,  and  the  calamities,  which 
have  contributed  so  mysteriously  to  the  formation 
of  our  present  character.  The  study  of  man,  in- 
deed, in  connexion  with  God,  will  be  enough  for 
a  long  life  hereafter,  and  the  knowledge  of  himself 
the  most  fruitful  of  interest  to  every  individual. 
1  Now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly.'  This  world 
and  our  own  characters  are  full  of  enigmas.  '  Then 
we  shall  know  even  as  we  are  known,'  and  it  will 
be  no  small  accession  of  knowledge  to  know  our- 
selves, even  as  we  are  known  by  others. 


ON  THE  FUTURE  LIFE.  77 

As  every  consideration  leads  us  to  believe  that 
the  future  life  will  be  a  social  state,  therefore  love, 
kind  affections,  and  good  will,  are  to  constitute 
the  real  reward,  the  true  felicity  of  heaven.  We 
say  that  the  future  state  will  be  a  social  state. 
Are  we  not  authorized  to  say  this,  by  that  lan- 
guage of  scripture,  which  speaks  of  the  assem- 
blies of  just  men  made  perfect,  and  of  the  many 
mansions  which  Jesus  has  prepared  for  his  follow- 
ers, that  where  he  is  they  may  be  also  ?  Besides, 
if  our  future  happiness,  as  we  before  observed, 
is  to  be  the  happiness  of  men,  we  know  of  none, 
except  that  which  depends  on  the  mere  gratifica- 
tion of  the  senses,  which  may  not  be  communicat- 
ed to  others,  and  which  is  not  increased  by  this 
participation.  We  are  to  enter  also  a  state  of  re- 
tribution, and  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  how  that 
retribution  can  be  accomplished,  if  all  the  rela- 
tions with  those  among  whom  we  have  lived,  giv- 
ing and  receiving  good  or  evil,  are  to  be  at  once 
abolished.  It  is  true,  that  the  social  character  of 
the  future  state,  does  not  necessarily  suppose  that 
former  intimacies  will  be  renewed.  But  if  there 
is  to  be  a  junction  of  virtuous  persons,  it  seems 
hardly  consistent  with  all  the  analogies  of  nature, 
that  those  should  be  unknown  to  each  other,  who 
seem  best  formed  for  the  promotion  of  each  other's 
happiness  ;  or  that,  where  two  minds  have  been 
subject  to  the  same  discipline,  formed  the  same 
habits,  and  drawn  their  happiness  from  the  same 
sources,  they  should,  in  another  state,  be  cut  off 


73  SERMON  V. 

from  an  enjoyment  so  pure,  merely  in  consequence 
of  their  transition  to  another  region. 

I  know  that  in  consequence  of  the  prodigious 
change  effected  by  the  dissolution  of  these  bodies, 
it  may  be  seriously  doubted  whether  we  shall  have 
the  same  visible  marks  of  mutual  recognition, 
which  now  make  us  known  to  each  other.  But 
there  are  beings,  we  may  hope,  who  could  not 
fail  of  finding  each  other  again,  by  those  eternal 
and  ineffaceable  characters  of  mind  and  sympa- 
thies of  soul,  which  bound  them  together  here, 
more  strongly  than  all  the  ties  of  consanguinity, 
or  the  strength  of  long  intimacy. 

Here,  then,  enters  the  delightful  thought  of  love 
purified,  enlarged,  and  invigorated.  Here  we 
have  a  glimpse  of  self-annihilation,  and  of  that  in- 
finite benevolence  which  now  exists  only  in  God. 
It  seems  indeed  that  here  on  earth  we  feel  very 
little  love,  which  is  not  in  some  measure  support- 
ed by  the  relation  of  the  object  to  ourselves  as  in- 
dividuals. We  see  and  feel  ourselves  in  all  that  is 
about  us.  Very  wonderful  will  be  the  change, 
then,  if  we  can  know  in  all  its  purity  and  power 
that  affection  which  is  satisfied  with  the  sole  plea- 
sure of  making  others  happy.  We  may  even  then 
know  what  it  is  to  love  God  himself,  not  as  we 
love  him  here,  so  feebly,  so  faintly,  so  inadequate- 
ly, but  supremely  and  unalterably,  without  fear,  or 
doubt,  or  error. 

But  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  penetrate  to  the 
extent  of  moral  perfection  which  may  be  attained, 
when  the   senses  shall  no  longer  degrade  our  af- 


ON  THE  FUTURE  LIFE.  79 

fcctions,  nor  the  imagination  corrupt  our  hearts ; 
when  the  consciousness  of  the  divine  approbation, 
unmingled  and  undisturbed,  shall  fill  our  souls,  and 
nothing  be  wanting  to  ensure  our  endless  happi- 
ness, but  the  pure  and  holy  perception  of  the  hap- 
piness of  others. 

All  these  considerations  which  confirm  our  ex- 
pectations of  a  state  of  social  existence,  lead  us 
to  regard  the  future  as  an  active  life.  Far  be  it 
from  me  to  diminish  the  comfortable  hope  of  that 
rest  which  remaineth  to  the  people  of  God  ;  or  to 
deprive  the  patient,  careworn,  and  exhausted 
Christian  of  the  tranquillizing  prospect  of  repose 
in  the  presence  of  his  God.  But  rest  is  not  tor- 
por, norrepose  inactivity.  Nothing  in  nature,  or 
in  scripture,  authorized  the  notion  which  too 
commonly  prevails,  that  the  good  will  be  in  a  state 
of  pure  rest,  or  passive  enjoyment,  absorbed  in  the 
contemplation  of  God,  and  yielding  to  impressions 
of  pleasure  independent  of  all  activity  of  body  or 
mind.  This  cannot  be  the  heaven  which  God,  the 
eternally  active,  powerful,  and  vivifying  spirit,  has 
provided  for  creatures  made  in  his  image,  and 
whose  perfection  consists  in  the  active  imitation 
of  his  benevolence.  Let  the  thought  that  we  are 
to  be  continually  employed,  and  employed  in  the 
diffusion  of  that  good  at  which  God  aims,  enter 
into  our  anticipations  of  futurity.  All  there  will 
be  exercise  ;  exercise  of  our  faculties  in  the  acqui- 
sition of  knowledge,  of  our  affections  in  the  love 
of  God's  creatures,  of  our  powers  in  the  commu- 
nication of  his  benefits.     We  arc  here  most  hap- 


30  SERMON  VI. 

py  when  most  employed,  and  can  opportunities  or 
objects,  or  means,  or  inclination  be  hereafter 
wanting  in  the  immense  range  of  God's  creation  ? 

Who  then  is  the  man  that  is  fit  for  heaven  ? 
The  selfish,  solitary,  and  indolent  speculatist ;  the 
griping,  hoarding,  narrow-minded  child  of  earth; 
the  vain,  proud,  self-important  man  of  conse- 
quence ?  No  !  the  heaven  which  we  describe  can 
be  no  place  for  them.  The  proper  candidates  for 
heaven,  are  the  men  who  diligently  fulfil  the  du- 
ties of  their  station  ;  who  live  most  for  others, 
and  with  unremitted  and  unwearied  care,  exert 
their  talents  in  laboring  to  correct  their  own  dis- 
positions, and  to  promote  the  good  of  others. 

There  is  another  circumstance  in  the  future 
life  of  the  Christian,  which  it  would  be  inexcusa- 
ble to  omit,  and  that  is,  the  presence  of  Christ. 
He  has  gone  to  prepare  a  place  for  his  follow- 
ers, that  where  he  is  they  may  be  also.  It  is  on 
these  promises  that  the  Christian's  hope  has  been 
supported.  '  Father,  I  will  that  they  also,  whom 
thou  hast  given  me,  be  with  me  where  I  am,  that 
they  may  behold  my  glory  which  thou  hast  given 
me.'  What  though  all  his  other  expectations  of 
the  specific  nature  or  employments  of  his  future 
condition  should  be  false,  yet  it  is  enough  for  the 
Christian  to  know,  that  hereafter  Christ  will  be  his 
companion,  and  his  friend.  Beloved,  now  are 
we  the  sons  of  God;  if  children,  then  heirs  of 
God,  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus  Christ. 


ON  THE  FUTURE  LIFE  81 

Who  then  are  to  be  partakers  of  this  life  to 
come  ?  Hie  world  is  full  of  rational  beings,  capa- 
ble of  forming  the  conception  and  cherishing  the 
hope  of  such  an  existence.  But  can  we  expect 
to  find  hereafter,  in  a  more  exalted  state,  all  the 
degraded  creatures  who  live  now  on  the  mercy 
and  forbearance  of  God  ?  Neither  scripture  nor 
reason  will  allow  this  hope.  There  arc  those  who 
will  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and  awake  to 
everlasting  contempt.  The  society  of  heaven  can- 
not be  composed,  like  the  present,  of  the  foolish 
and  the  wise,  the  virtuous  and  the  profligate,  the 
worthless  and  the  excellent.  Into  the  world  we 
have  been  describing  entereth  nothing  that  defil- 
eth  or  that  maketh  a  lie.  '  And  1  heard  a  voice 
out  of  heaven  saying,  It  is  done.  I  am  alpha  and 
omega,  the  beginning  and  the  end.  He  that  over- 
cometh,  shall  inherit  all  things  ;  and  I  will  be  his 
God,  and  he  shall  be  my  son.  But  the  fearful,  and 
unbelieving,  and  the  abominable,  and  murderers, 
and  whoremongers,  and  sorcerers,  and  idolaters, 
and  all  liars,  shall  have  their  part  in  the  second 
death.' 

How  glorious  are  the  prospects  opened  to  the 
eye  of  faith  and  virtue  !  Separated  from  the 
wicked,  to  dwell  only  with  the  wise  and  virtuous, 
to  act  with  them,  to  learn  with  them,  and  to  wor- 
ship with  them  the  everlasting  Father;  to  be  oc- 
cupied forever  in  the  general  good  of  God's  crea- 
tures, and  to  proceed  from  good  to  better,  from 
glory  to  glory. 
11 


SERMON  VI. 


SPIRITUAL  NATURE  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  CHRIST. 
John,  XVIII.  3G. 

JESUS  answered;  my  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world. 

When  our  Saviour  was  brought  before  Pilate, 
and  maliciously  charged  by  the  Jews  with  affecting 
regal  power,  Pilate  asks,  '  Art  thou  the  King  of  the 
Jews,'  and  receives  the  reply  in  the  text. 

In  the  opinion  of  the  Roman  judge  it  appears 
to  have  been  explicit  and  satisfactory ;  for  he  went 
out  without  delay  to  our  Saviour's  accusers,  to 
protest  a  second  time  that  he  found  no  fault  in 
him.  This  reply,  which,  at  the  time,  seems  to 
have  produced  in  the  mind  of  Pilate  a  conviction 
of  the  innocence  of  our  Saviour's  designs,  and  of 
the  intellectual  nature  of  that  influence  and  au- 
thority which  he  had  endeavoured  to  establish, 
stands  yet  on  record,  to  refute  those  idle  accusa- 
tions of  disingenuous  men,  by  which  they  have 
represented  the  religion  of  Jesus  as  a  contrivance 
of  ambitious  imposters,  and  the  spiritual  engine  of 


CHRIST'S  A  SPIRITUAL  KINGDOM.  ;;.; 

political  power.  It  stands  yet  on  record,  to  re- 
proach the  weakness  of  Pilate,  who,  after  such  a 
declaration,  could  yield  up  the  Son  of  God  as  a 
dangerous  and  seditious  enemy  of  Crcsar,  and 
also  as  a  reproach  to  the  pride  and  spiritual  des- 
potism of  many  sectaries  and  princes  in  the  histo- 
ry of  the  church.  It  stands  yet  on  record,  to  en- 
courage and  console  the  real  church  of  Christ  in 
times  of  aflliction,  persecution,  apostasy,  and  de- 
cay ;  for,  whether  our  religion  enjoy  the  favor,  or 
endure  the  hostility  of  the  civil  powers  ;  whether 
the  kingdoms  which  call  themselves  christian  are 
swept  away,  or  extended;  whether  this  globe  it- 
self endure  or  vanish  from  the  systems  of  the 
world,  the  Prince  of  Peace  is  not  dethroned,  nor 
his  holy  dominion  destroyed,  nor  his  realm  invad- 
ed, nor  the  peace  and  privileges  of  his  subjects 
disturbed. 

Every  religion,  which  the  world,  before  the  com- 
ing of  Christ,  had  known,  was  more  or  less  incor- 
porated with  established  governments.  The  sys- 
tem of  Paganism  was  altogether  civil ;  the  augurs 
could  suspend  any  proceeding  of  state,  and  at  last, 
the  character  of  priest  was  invariably  united  with 
that  of  emperor.  The  religion  of  Moses,  too,  was 
intimately  incorporated  with  his  civil  polity,  and 
however  the  circumcision  of  the  heart  only  might 
be  recommended  by  a  christian  apostle,  no  one 
could  ever  belong  to  the  Jewish  nation,  who  did 
not  first,  by  this  outward  rite  of  religious  initiation, 
belong  to  the  Jewish  church. 


84  SERMON  VI. 

But,  the  religion  of  Jesus,  thanks  be  to  God ! 
was  linked  with  the  fortunes  of  no  nation,  and 
wrought  into  the  forms  of  no  government.  It  in- 
terferes with  none  of  the  distinctions  of  political 
society.  It  is  a  religion  circumscribed  by  no  nat- 
ural boundaries,  suited  to  every  climate,  country, 
and  state  of  improvement,  and  adapted  to  all  the 
ages  of  the  world.  It  has  no  peculiar  exemptions, 
nor  peculiar  privileges  for  any  sex,  age,  or  order 
of  society.  In  one  word,  it  was  designed  to  be 
universal  and  immortal.  It  has  its  rudiments  only 
in  this  world,  but  its  perfection  hereafter.  The 
subjects  of  Christ's  kingdom  here,  are  a  small  and 
distant  colony  of  a  mighty  empire,  placed  where 
their  loyalty  is  in  a  state  of  perpetual  probation, 
to  be  transplanted  successively  to  the  parent  coun- 
try, and  to  dwell  under  the  more  immediate  influ- 
ence of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  in  heaven,  the  seat  of 
his  immediate  presence. 

Jesus,  in  his  reply  to  Pilate,  who  had  asked  him 
whether  he  were  a  king,  adds,  in  confirmation  of 
the  unwarlike  nature  of  the  kingdom  which  he 
came  to  establish,  '  If  my  kingdom  were  of  this 
world,  my  servants  would  have  fought,  they  would 
not  have  permitted  me  to  be  delivered  up  to  the 
Jews.'  Our  Saviour  does  not  offer  this  as  the 
only,  nor  the  strongest  proof  of  the  spiritual  nature 
of  his  government,  but  as  one  which  was  evident- 
ly suggested  by  his  actual  circumstances. 

Our  Saviour's  meaning  in  the  words  of  our  text 
undoubtedly  was,  that  he  was  indeed  a  king,  but 


CHRIST'S  A  SPIRITUAL  KINGDOM.  35 

that  the  sway  he  should  exercise,  would  he  mark- 
ed hy  none  of  the  insignia  of  temporal  power,  that 
it  would  consist  in  the  spiritual  influence  of  his 
gospel,  and  the  acknowledgment  of  his  authority 
in  the  hearts  of  all  his  faithful  followers,  through  a 
long  succession  of  ages ;  that  this  world  was  not 
the  limit  of  his  reign,  but  that  his  kingdom 
would  be  continued  and  consummated  hereafter. 

It  shall  be  our  present  object  to  show  you  how 
little  the  kingdom  of  Christ  resembles,  and  how 
little  it  is  connected  with  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world,  in  its  origin,  its  establishment,  its  nature, 
and  its  duration. 

I.  First,  then,  in  its  origin.  We  discern  in  real- 
ity what  was  so  often  absurdly  claimed  by  the 
founders  of  states,  we  discern  a  celestial  origin. 
With  what  retired  and  peaceful  auguries  is  it  ush- 
ered in  !  In  that  day  when  the  Lord  of  hosts  be- 
gan to  set  up  a  kingdom  which  should  never  be 
destroyed,  the  world,  we  are  told,  was  reposing  in 
universal  peace.  This  spiritual  kingdom  is  intro- 
duced, and  the  states  and  empires  of  the  earth  are 
undisturbed.  In  an  humble  village  of  Judea,  an 
inconsiderable  province  of  the  empire,  angels,  in 
the  stillness  of  the  midnight  air,  announce  to 
shepherds  the  birth  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  by  the 
song  of  peace  and  good  will  to  men.  At  the  age 
of  thirty  years,  this  Son  of  God  enters  publicly, 
but  quietly,  and  without  ostentation,  on  the  busi- 
ness of  his  mission.  At  first  he  is  employed  in 
teaching  humility  to  a  few  ambitious  disciples  ;  he 


36  SERMON   VI. 

is  employed  in  establishing  the  influence  of  the 
most  unaspiring  religion  in  hearts  the  most  ad- 
verse to  its  reception ;  and  thus,  my  friends,  is 
God's  minister  employed  upon  earth,  during  a  la- 
borious life.  We  observe  in  Jesus  no  solicitude 
to  swell  the  number  of  his  adherents  by  flattering 
promises,  and  no  care  to  retain  those,  who,  from 
admiration  or  curiosity,  called  themselves  his  dis- 
ciples. A  ruler  comes  and  falls  down  before  him, 
professing  himself  his  follower.  Our  Saviour,  in- 
stead of  eagerly  embracing  him  as  a  valuable 
acquisition  to  his  cause,  proposes  a  severe  test  of 
his  sincerity.  '  Sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and  give  it 
to  the  poor,  and  then  come  and  follow  me.'  The 
disappointed  ruler  departs  in  sorrow,  for,  says  the 
evangelist,  he  had  great  possessions.  These, 
however,  to  a  teacher  of  worldly  views,  would 
have  been  his  highest  recommendation. 

II.  Let  us  in  the  second  place  endeavour  to 
trace  the  establishment  of  this  kingdom  in  the 
world  after  the  death  of  its  founder.  You  will 
naturally  ask  what  provision  is  made  for  its  con- 
tinuance and  extension?  Without  doubt  the 
world  would  previously  suppose  that  Jesus,  like 
Mahomet,  had  appointed  his  successors,  given 
them  minute  political  instructions,  and  assigned  to 
them  their  different  departments.  Perhaps  he  had 
directed  them  to  retire,  as  they  did  from  Jerusa- 
lem, to  avoid  the  gathering  storm,  to  collect  in  si- 
lence their  scattered  adherents,  to  wait  in  secret 
the  increase  of  their  numbers,  and  their  strength, 


CHRIST'S  A  SPIRITUAL  KINGDOM.  37 

and  to  return  in  due  time  to  avenge  the  murder  of 
their  master,  and  to  plant  the  cross  on  the  ruins  of 
the  temple.  Not  a  word  of  all  this.  Their  Lord 
is  crucified,  and  the  disciples  are  dispersed.  The 
interests  of  this  desperate  cause  are  left,  my 
friends,  to  the  efforts  of  the  men  who  had  tied  in 
panic  from  Jerusalem.  They  are  left  to  the  un- 
tutored eloquence  of  Peter,  that  timid  disciple 
who  had  denied  his  Master;  to  the  persuasive  and 
affectionate  simplicity  of  the  young  John  ;  to  the 
fortitude,  the  zeal,  the  learning  of  Paul,  who  was 
now  perhaps  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  smiling 
at  the  unsuccessful  ministry  of  Jesus.  And  yet 
these  are  the  means  by  which  the  kingdom  that  is 
not  of  this  world  is  to  be  extended.  These  are 
the  peaceful  arms  which  are  to  beat  down  the 
strong  holds  of  vice,  and  spread  the  triumphs  of 
the  cross,  and  vanquish  the  lusts  and  passions  and 
prejudices  of  an  enlightened  age. 

Observe  the  circumstances  which  attended  the 
progress  of  this  kingdom,  and  you  will  see  that 
it  neither  interfered,  nor  was  connected  with  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world.  It  threatens  not  the  es- 
tablished power  of  a  single  subordinate  officer, 
throughout  the  Roman  empire.  It  proposes  no 
change  in  men's  civil  relations.  It  may  coexist 
with  any  form  of  government,  and  any  station  of 
society.  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  capacious 
enough  to  include  the  slave  chained  to  his  task, 
and  the  emperor  seated  on  his  throne.  It  re- 
quires not  the  former  to  break  his  fetters,  nor  the 


J?8  SERMON  VI. 

latter  to  cast  away  his  crown.  While  it  was  win- 
ning its  way  through  the  wide  extent  of  the  Ro- 
man empire,  though  the  workmen  who  made 
silver  shrines  for  Diana  might  have  had  some 
cause  for  their  clamor,  Caesar  himself  had  no 
reason  to  be  alarmed,  and  no  excuse  to  persecute. 
Into  this  kingdom  enters  Onesimus  the  servant  of 
Philemon,  and  into  this  kingdom  how  gladly  would 
have  been  received  the  king  Agrippa,  almost  per- 
suaded to  be  a  Christian  !  Upon  this  subject  of 
the  interference  of  Christianity  with  men's  civil 
relations,  we  need  only  quote  the  words  of  the 
apostle.  '  Is  any  man  called  being  circumcised, 
let  him  not  become  uncircumcised.  Circumcis- 
ion is  nothing,  and  uncircumcision  is  nothing,  sla- 
very is  nothing,  and  freedom  is  nothing,  but  the 
keeping  the  commandments  of  God.' 

Further ;  as  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  in  its  es- 
tablishment, gave  no  offence  to  the  reigning  pow- 
ers, so  it  received  support  from  none,  while  it 
gave  support  to  all.  While  it  was  making  men  fit 
to  leave  the  world,  it  fitted  them  also  to  live 
peaceably  in  it,  and  a  good  subject  of  Christ  was 
also  a  good  subject  of  any  government  on  earth. 
It  asked  only  for  tolerance,  and  it  gave  peace  in 
return.  Yet  it  encountered  the  most  cruel  opposi- 
tion. Even  the  benevolent  and  enlightened  Tra- 
jan could  persecute  and  burn  a  Christian  without 
remorse.  And  what  think  you,  my  friends,  would 
have  been  the  fate  of  a  temporal  power,  attempt- 
ing to  establish  itself  at  such  a  moment  in  the  cen- 


CHRIST'S  A  SPIRITUAL  KINGDOM.  «;.» 

trc  of  the  Roman  empire  ?  Nay,  what  think 
you  would  have  been  the  fate  of  Christianity  it- 
self, if  it  had  then  consisted,  like  the  religion  of 
many  of  its  professors  at  the  present  diiy,  in  its 
public  institutions,  in  the  number  of  its  churches, 
in  the  reception  of  the  sacrament,  in  the  baptism 
of  children,  in  the  hearing  of  sermons,  and  in  the 
peace  and  splendor  and  quiet  of  a  church  ? 
Thank  God.  there  were  subjects  of  Jesus  then 
existing,  to  whom  the  honor  and  love  of  their  Mas- 
ter were  dearer  than  life.  Thank  God,  there  were 
hearts  beating  with  the  influence  of  the  gospel, 
though  its  rites  were  secret,  and  its  assemblies 
small  and  despised.  Hence,  when  the  temples  of 
Christ  were  burning,  the  sanctuary  in  the  heart 
was  untouched  ;  when  his  professors  were  led  to 
the  stake,  his  subjects  were  multiplied,  and  Chris- 
tianity flourished,  though  its  rites  were  suppressed, 
and  trodden  under  the  foot  of  power. 

But,  my  friends,  this  picture  of  poverty  and  per- 
secution is  soon  to  be  reversed.  This  kingdom, 
which  was  not  of  the  world,  is  soon  to  be  united 
in  its  forms  to  the  kingdoms  of  the  civil  world. 
Its  professors  rise  to  dignities  in  the  empire  ;  the 
emperor  himself  adopts  it  to  strengthen  his  throne; 
the  ministers  of  the  gospel  aspire  to  worldly  do- 
minion, and  endeavour  thus  to  extend,  by  the 
same  victory,  the  borders  of  the  empire  and  the 
limits  of  the  church.  All  is  security  and  wealth, 
and  pomp  and  power  without.  The  empire  is 
christianized,  but  yet  Christ  has  hardly  gained  a 
12 


90  SERMON  VI. 

subject.  Amid  all  this  splendor,  the  meek  spirit 
of  the  gospel  is  lost  and  overwhelmed  ;  and  after 
this  professed  union  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  with 
the  establishments  of  the  world,  corruptions,  di- 
visions, superstition,  and  ecclesiastical  dominion, 
more  to  be  dreaded  than  the  hordes  of  northern 
barbarians  which  overswept  the  empire,  desolat- 
ed the  church  ;  and  they  have  transmitted  their 
deadly  influence  to  these  remote  ages.  Truly,  if 
this  work  had  not  been  originally  of  God,  it  would 
long  since  have  been  destroyed  by  the  very  en- 
couragement its  profession  has  received. 

We  have  thus  seen  that  our  Lord's  kingdom 
was  not  of  the  world  in  its  origin ;  that  it  sought 
no  aid  from  the  world  in  its  establishment ;  that  it 
interfered  not  with  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  in 
its  extension,  and  that  it  receives  no  real  support 
from  a  union  with  the  powers  of  the  world,  in  its 
interests. 

III.  Consider,  in  the  third  place,  the  subjects  of 
this  kingdom,  and  its  spiritual  nature  will  more 
clearly  appear.  Do  not  look  for  them,  my  friends, 
in  that  long  roll  of  christian  emperors,  beginning 
with  the  reign  of  Constantine.  You  may  traverse 
the  galleries  of  the  imperial  palace,  and  pass 
through  the  retinue  of  courtiers,  and  I  fear  you 
will  hardly  meet  a  disciple  of  the  humble  Naza- 
rene.  Do  not  look  for  them  in  the  pompous 
martyrology  of  persecuting  saints,  who  swell  the 
calendar  of  the  Romish  church.  I  am  compelled 
to  say,  too,  that  you  must  not  look  for  them  among 


CHRIST'S  A  SPIRITUAL  KINGDOM.  'Jj 

those  dignitaries  who  have  lorded  it  over  Cod's 
heritage,  or  among  those  barefooted  and  bare- 
headed imposters,  who  have  concealed  a  vain  and 
aspiring  temper  under  the  cloak  of  pretended 
mortification.  I  do  not  deny  that  a  humble  and 
holy  spirit  may  reside  under  the  purple  and  the 
ermine,  while  a  proud  heart  may  beat  under 
haircloth  and  rags ;  yet,  to  find  the  subjects  of 
Jesus,  we  must  often  descend  to  mean  abodes,  and 
often  penetrate  the  recesses  of  domestic  life, 
where  we  most  often  find  the  humble,  the  pure, 
the  just  and  pious,  of  whom  the  world  has  too 
often  been  unworthy. 

These  are  they  who  have  passed  through  great 
tribulation:  men  who  have  attained  an  enviable 
superiority  to  the  pleasures,  the  pains,  the  honors, 
the  riches,  and  the  poverty  which  surround  them. 
No  man  can  claim  the  privilege  of  this  govern- 
ment, who  has  not  subdued  his  passions  to  the 
authority  of  Christ.  He  seeks  no  doubtful  char- 
acters, who  wish  to  be  indulged  in  a  partial  at- 
tachment, who  are  ready  to  give  up  one  vice  if 
they  may  be  allowed  to  retain  another,  but  who 
revolt  at  the  first  bribe  which  the  world  oilers. 
Especially  does  Christ  disclaim  those  subjects  who 
have  taken  his  name  because  his  religion  is  popu- 
lar, and  they  hope  to  reap  the  advantages  which 
may  be  connected  with  a  profession  of  his  doc- 
trines. The  rewards  of  his  kingdom  arc  intel- 
lectual and  heavenly.  They  are  not  of  the  world, 
even  as  Christ  was  not  of  the  world.     The  records 


92  SERMON  VI. 

of  Christianity  are  humble,  and  this  is  an  incon- 
ceivable consolation  to  the  follower  of  Jesus,  when 
he  mourns  over  the  degeneracy  of  some  and  the 
insensibility  of  others,  that  millions  will  appear 
in  the  roils  of  future  renown,  whose  names  have 
never  been  seen  in  the  page  of  history,  and  never 
reached  the  ear  of  any  but  the  Almighty  Judge  of 
the  secrets  of  the  heart  of  man. 

It  is  time  to  close  with  a  few  reflections.  If 
such  then  be  the  spiritual  nature  of  the  kingdom 
of  Christ,  we  infer, 

First,  that  this  kingdom  will  remain  when  all 
the  states  and  empires  of  the  world  shall  have 
passed  down  the  stream  of  time,  far  out  of  the 
reach  of  human  recollection.  How  has  the  map 
of  the  world  been  changed  since  the  introduction 
of  the  religion  of  Jesus  !  There  is  not  one  of  its 
old  divisions  to  be  traced.  Where  now  is  that 
cruel  Jewish  Sanhedrim  which  crucified  the  Lord 
of  Life  ?  Where  is  that  proud  Hebrew  common- 
wealth, which  saw  with  such  malice  the  rising 
kingdom,  and  strove  in  vain  to  crush  the  infant 
church  ?  Nay,  where  now  is  that  famous  Roman 
empire,  composed  of  so  many  mighty  nations,  in 
the  midst  of  which  Christianity  sprung  up,  like  a 
tender  shoot  in  a  forest  of  lofty  and  aged  trees, 
which  have  since  decayed  and  fallen  around  it, 
and  left  it  tall,  spreading,  and  vigorous  ?  Where 
now  is  that  long  train  of  persecuting  emperors* 
who  wasted  their  resources  in  exterminating  the 
humble  subjects  of  this  kingdom  ?  And  not  only  so, 


CHRIST'S  A  SPIRITUAL  KINGDOM.  93 

where  now  are  the  empires,  with  which  it  was 
incorporated,  and  which  lent  it  their  support? 
They  have  fallen.  But  Christianity  has  not  fallen. 
Fear  not,  then,  little  flock,  it  is  your  Father's  good 
pleasure  to  give  you  a  kingdom,  which  cannot  be 
destroyed. 

Again  ;  we  may  infer  from  this  subject  what  the 
religion  of  Christ  truly  consists  in.  You  who  un- 
derstand by  it  the  assumption  of  a  peculiar  name, 
tell  us,  where  was  Christianity  before  its  followers 
were  called  Christians  first  in  Antioch  ?  Is  it  the 
entrance  upon  a  peculiar  profession  ?  AY  here  was 
it  when  it  was  not  permitted  to  show  itself  in  pub- 
lic ?  Does  it  consist  in  the  reception  of  the  ele- 
ments or  in  baptism  ?  There  have  been  periods 
when  these  rites  have  been  impracticable.  Per- 
haps you  imagine  it  to  consist  in  the  establishment 
of  churches,  of  public  worship,  or  of  an  order  of 
ministers.  Alas !  it  is  too  certain  that  you  may 
have  been  born  and  have  lived  in  Christendom  ; 
you  may  have  been  baptized  in  infancy,  in  man- 
hood, or  in  both  ;  you  may  have  communicated 
with  the  purest  church  on  earth  ;  you  may  have 
worn  the  threshold  of  the  sanctuary  with  your 
footsteps ;  you  may  have  borne  the  vessels  of  the 
altar,  and  entered  the  desk  of  instruction,  without 
having  entered  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  Think 
you  the  possession  of  the  privileges  of  the  gospel, 
is  obedience  to  the  gospel  ?  or  that  the  being  de- 
corated with  the  insignia  of  the  empire,  will  give 
you  admittance  to  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our 


94  SERMON  IV. 

Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  ?  No.  For  when 
once  the  master  of  the  house  hath  risen  up  and 
hath  shut  the  door,  though  many  standing  without 
will  begin  to  knock  at  the  door  and  say,  Lord, 
Lord,  open  unto  us,  he  will  answer,  I  know  you 
not,  whence  ye  are.  Then  will  they  begin  to  say, 
We  have  eaten  and  drunk  in  thy  presence,  and 
thou  hast  taught  in  our  streets.  But  he  will  say, 
I  tell  you  again,  I  know  you  not,  whence  ye  are. 
Depart  from  me,  ye  workers  of  iniquity.  For  there 
will  come  from  the  east  and  the  west,  from  the 
north  and  from  the  south,  many  who  will  sit  at 
the  table  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  behold  these 
are  cast  out. 

Lastly  ;  we  may  infer  from  the  spirituality  of 
Christ's  kingdom,  the  proper  means  of  extending 
it.  On  this  subject  the  most  dreadful  mistakes 
have  prevailed  in  different  ages,  and  among  the 
best  of  men  ;  mistakes,  which,  at  the  present  day, 
fill  us  with  astonishment  and  shame.  Nations 
have  been  christianized,  [as  it  has  been  termed,  at 
the  point  of  the  sword,  and  Jesus  was  supposed  to 
have  gained  a  disciple,  when  a  christian  prince 
only  gained  another  subject.  But  though,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  most  of  us  now  understand,  that  a 
kingdom  which  is  not  of  this  world  is  not  to  be 
extended  by  the  force  of  arms,  but  only  by  the 
force  of  moral  motives,  and  the  pacific  introduc- 
tion of  religious  teaching,  yet  even  our  zeal  is  now 
imperfectly  directed.  Our  families,  my  friends, 
our  children,  our  dependents  are  our  first  care. 


CHEISTS  A  SPIRITUAL  KINGDOM.  <.i/, 

I  cannot  estimate  very  highly  the  wisdom  or  the 
sincerity  of  that  man  who  promotes  missions  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  while  those  who  are  imme- 
diately under  his  eye,  are  ignorant  of  the  first  prin- 
ciples of  the  oracles  of  God.  The  first  victory 
which  the  gospel  gains  should  be  over  our  own 
hearts.  Till  this  is  achieved,  it  is  weak  and  absurd 
for  us  to  rejoice  in  the  triumphs  of  the  cross  at  the 
extremities  of  the  earth. 

My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,  saith  our  Sav- 
iour. But  are  we  not  of  this  world  ?  And  when 
we  are  summoned,  as  we  soon  must  be,  to  leave 
it,  shall  we  not  feel  as  if  we  were  quitting  in 
exile,  a  land  where  all  our  pleasures  and  hopes 
have  centred  ?  God  grant  that  we  may  so  un- 
derstand the  declaration  in  the  text,  that  heaven 
may  prove  our  native  soil,  the  abode  of  our  friends, 
our  parent  country,  and  an  abundant  and  welcome 
entrance  be  there  administered  to  us,  in  the  name 
of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ! 


SERMON  VII, 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  AS  TO  THE  NATURE  OF  RELIGION. 
Romans,  XIV.  17. 


THE    KINGDOM    OF    GOD    IS    NOT    MEAT    AND    DRINK;     BUT    RIGHTEOUS- 
NESS,   AND    PEACE,    AND    JOY    IN    THE    HOLY    GHOST. 


In  these  words  are  described,  with  much  truth 
and  conciseness,  the  nature  and  the  effect  of  reli- 
gion. It  consists  in  the  practice  of  righteousness, 
and  it  is  accompanied  with  a  spirit  of  peace  and 
joy,  resulting  from  an  habitual  confidence  in  God, 
the  author  of  all  moral  and  religious  happiness. 
The  last  clause,  'joy  in  the  holy  spirit,'  admits  of 
various  interpretations.  It  may  signify  that  satis- 
faction, which  the  Christians  in  the  apostolic  age 
derived  from  the  possession  of  the  extraordinary 
gifts  of  the  spirit;  or,  it  may  be  opposed  here  to 
that  dissocial  disposition,  which  disturbed  the  in- 
tercourse between  Jew  and  Gentile,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  use  of  meats,  mentioned  in  the  preced- 
ing verse.  It  is  otherwise  rendered,  'joy  in  a  holy 
spirit,'  or  a  pure  and  benevolent  state  of  the  affec- 
tions.    But  I  am  willing  to  understand  by  it,  that 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  RELIGION.  97 

contented  and  joyful  state  of  mind,  which  belongs 
to  a  man  of  real  devotion,  who  possesses  confi- 
dence towards  God,  and  that  filial  spirit  which 
makes  duty  easy,  afflictions  light,  death  harmless, 
futurity  promising,  and  the  whole  course  of  the 
christian  life  cheerful,  active,  and  full  of  expecta- 
tion. 

The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink.  It 
does  not  consist,  as  those  imagined  to  whom  the 
apostle  wrote,  in  abstaining  from  the  use  of  certain 
kinds  of  food,  nor  in  the  liberty  of  using  them. 
This  is  only  one  instance,  which  stands,  however, 
as  a  specimen  of  the  mistakes,  that  prevail  with 
regard  to  the  general  nature  of  religion ;  mistakes, 
which  are  entirely  consistent  with  the  most  scru- 
pulous conscience,  with  the  most  animated  zeal, 
with  any  form  of  worship,  or  any  profession  of 
doctrine. 

I.  The  misapprehension  of  the  nature  of  reli- 
gion itself,  will  form  the  subject  of  the  first  division 
of  this  discourse. 

Let  it  be  premised,  however,  that  this  is  a  ques- 
tion entirely  different  from  the  inquiry,  what  are 
the  true  doctrines  of  Christianity,  or  what  is  fun- 
damental in  the  belief  of  every  man,  who  assumes 
the  name  of  Christian.  It  is  true  that  false  no- 
tions of  the  nature  of  religion  may  be  grounded 
on  the  supposition,  or  supported  by  the  persuasion 
of  the  truth  or  importance  of  particular  tenets  ; 
but,  however  closely  mistakes  in  practice,  or  im- 
perfections of  temper  may  be  connected  with  false 
13 


98  SERMON  VII. 

articles  of  belief,  error  in  our  notions  of  particular 
doctrines,  is  entirely  distinct  from  our  misconcep- 
tion of  the  nature  and  design  of  religion  itself. 
This  is  primary  and  antecedent,  and  must  be  cor- 
rected, not  merely  by  correcting  particular  tenets, 
but  by  more  comprehensive  views  of  religion  in 
general. 

The  most  exact  conceptions  may  be  formed, 
and  the  most  perfect  delineations  may  be  made  of 
the  peculiar  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  without  con- 
veying to  a  mind  which  will  not  reflect,  the  pe- 
culiar characteristics  of  a  religious  spirit.  Just 
notions  of  what  religion  is,  must  be  collected  ra- 
ther from  the  general  spirit  of  the  gospel  history, 
and  a  study  of  the  character  of  God,  and  of  man 
in  his  relation  to  his  Maker,  than  from  any  precise 
definitions  of  particular  truths.  Yet,  notwith- 
standing all  the  variety  of  opinions  existing  in  the 
christian  world,  resulting  from  the  ignorance  or 
the  passions  of  man,  it  is  a  most  consoling  thought, 
that  the  doctrines  which  Christians  acknowledge 
in  common,  are  a  sufficient  foundation  for  real  re- 
ligion, and  will  effect,  with  the  blessing  of  God's 
grace,  the  sanctification  and  happiness  of  every 
man,  who  is  previously  furnished  with  just  notions 
of  the  nature  of  this  most  precious  gift. 

1 .  Among  the  mistakes  of  the  nature  of  religion, 
is  one,  by  which,  that  is  taken  for  religion  which 
may  perhaps  with  greater  propriety  be  termed 
a  complete  absence,  in  the  character,  of  every- 
thing essential  to  religion.    This  mistake  discovers 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  RELIGION.  99 

itself  in  that  way  of  talking,  which  makes  religion 
consist  in  good  dispositions  to  virtue,  in  amiable 
instincts,  in  a  certain  decorum  and  inoifensivencss 
of  conduct,  which  no  violent  passions  interrupt. 
Of  this  character  are  most  of  those  Christians, 
who  pass  in  the  world  unnoted  for  offences 
against  the  supposed  laws  of  God  and  men.  It  is 
true,  such  persons  are  rather  denominated  good, 
than  religious  men,  because  it  is  too  often  notori- 
ous to  the  observer,  that  the  idea  of  God  has  hard- 
ly entered  their  minds,  and  exerts  no  influence 
whatever  on  their  amiable  dispositions.  Such 
men  may  be  said  to  act  from  anything,  rather  than 
from  a  principle  of  religion.  They  are  so  happy 
as  to  possess  dispositions  favorable  to  virtue,  and 
a  certain  inoffensiveness  of  character,  which  is 
agreeable  to  the  selfish  indolence  of  mankind. 
But  though  a  principle  of  conscience  may  never 
have  governed,  nor  any  intelligent  spirit  of  bene- 
volence have  animated  their  conduct,  though  they 
have  lived  without  God  in  the  world,  and  have  re- 
ally been  free  from  vice  only  in  consequence  of 
the  favor  of  circumstances,  they  are  falsely  set 
down  as  examples  of  what  Christianity  is  design- 
ed to  form.  Of  religion,  if  of  nothing  else,  it 
may  be  said,  that  it  is  utterly  unknown,  where 
there  does  not  exist  an  habitual  reference  to  God, 
where  the  affections  towards  God  have  never  been 
called  into  exercise,  or  where  there  is  not  a  prin- 
ciple of  progressive  obedience,  continually  aiming 
at  improvement  and  panting  for  perfection.     It  is 


100  SERMON  VII. 

true  that  the  term  religious  is  not  often  vouchsaf- 
ed to  such  men  as  have  been  described ;  but  they 
are  familiarly  termed  innocent,  virtuous,  unblama- 
ble. I  need  not  say  that  those  who  have  formed 
no  higher  conceptions  of  religion  than  these,  have 
yet  to  acquire  the  very  rudiments  of  christian  ex- 
cellence. They  have  not  stepped  upon  the  thresh- 
old of  the  gospel  ;  they  have  not  even  inquired 
for  the  avenues  to  the  sanctuary.  To  them  it  is 
nothing  whether  anything  is  known  of  God  or 
not,  or  anything  of  a  future  destination ;  much  less 
do  they  know  whether  Christ  has  lived,  or  died, 
or  risen,  or  left  anything  of  importance  to  the 
knowlege  or  well-being  of  mankind.  These  men 
live  for  no  purpose,  which  does  not  terminate  in 
some  temporal  advantage,  or  at  least,  to  which 
death  may  not  put  an  effectual  close. 

2.  Directly  opposite  to  this  negative  notion  of 
a  religious  character,  is  the  mistake  of  those  who 
make  it  to  consist  entirely  in  services  performed 
expressly  towards  God,  as  if  he  had  an  interest 
distinct  from  that  of  his  creatures,  or  required  our 
homage,  either  of  conduct  or  affection,  as  if  it  were 
some  advantage  to  himself.  It  is  true  that  the 
term  religion,  is  originally  and  properly  applicable 
to  the  duties  towards  God,  in  distinction  from 
those  of  social  life;  but  to  imagine  that  these  ser- 
vices are  valuable  in  any  other  respect,  than  as 
they  tend  to  promote  some  further  purpose,  or  to 
imagine  that  God  is  not  served,  except  by  acts 
that  arc  expressly  directed  to  him,  is  to  confound 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  RELIGION.  jQI 

altogether  the  notions  of  religion  with  the  demands 
of  a  superior.  There  is  nothing  in  the  religion  of 
Christ  which  demands  religious  services  from  men, 
purely  for  their  value  in  themselves,  hut  to  an- 
swer some  higher  end,  either  of  their  improvement 
or  comfort.  The  gospel  does  not  teach  us  to 
confine  our  consciences  to  these  religious  rites, 
nor  does  it  require  us  to  consider  the  time  which 
is  not  spent  in  acts  of  this  kind,  as  lost  or  wasted. 
It  does  not  exclude  the  idea  of  holiness  from 
other  actions  than  those  which  have  God  for  their 
object,  from  other  thoughts  than  those  into  which 
the  idea  of  him  enters;  but  it  makes  all  good  af- 
fections a  part  of  religion,  all  acts  of  kindness, 
and  indeed,  the  whole  circle  of  our  employments 
and  pleasures,  when  they  are  wisely  directed  and 
gratefully  enjoyed,  a  worship  of  himself.  Neither 
does  the  gospel  encourage  us  to  judge  of  our  pro- 
gress in  virtue  by  the  number  of  our  merely  reli- 
gious acts  ;  but  it  estimates  the  worth  of  our  char- 
acter in  all  our  relations,  and  especially  regards 
the  whole  bias  of  the  affections  towards  goodness. 
Such  is  the  language  of  Jehovah  himself.  '  To 
what  purpose  is  the  multitude  of  your  sacrifices 
unto  me?  saith  the  Lord.'  Isaiah  i.  11.  In  this  I 
am  by  no  means  for  discouraging  the  most  diligent 
use  of  instrumental  duties  ;  nor  would  I  in  any  de- 
gree diminish  the  value  of  services,  which  we  owe 
directly  to  God  ;  for  these  require  in  every  way  to 
be  encouraged  or  awakened.  But  it  is  to  dispel 
the  illusion,  which  prevails  in   some  minds,  that 


102  SERMON  VIT. 

the  value  of  a  man's  religion  is  to  be  estimated  by 
the  turn  of  his  mind  towards  acts  of  worship,  or  by 
the  time  which  is  employed  in  them ;  and  to  im- 
press upon  you  the  conviction  that  our  duties  to- 
wards God  are  of  no  value,  unless  the  effect  of 
them  is  perceived  in  our  affections  in  general,  and 
in  the  whole  conduct  of  life. 

3.  Another  mistake  of  the  nature  of  religion 
is  that  which  makes  it  only  a  source  of  comfort; 
a  cordial  to  be  opened  only  when  the  spirit  faints. 
It  would  make  Christianity  a  pure  dispensation  of 
mercy,  provided  only  to  pacify  the  terrors  of  con- 
science, or  administer  comfort  to  the  sick  and  dy- 
ing. Hence  the  long  delay  in  attending  to  a  sub- 
ject, which  is  expected  to  present  itself  at  last  in 
the  guise  of  an  angel  of  mercy,  to  bear  away  the 
departing  spirit  in  the  arms  of  love.  By  those 
who  take  this  view,  the  minister  of  religion  is  con- 
sidered only  in  the  light  of  a  messenger  of  consola- 
tion to  the  distressed  spirit.  He  is  expected  to 
appear  at  the  couch  of  the  dying,  though  he  may 
never  have  been  seen  before,  provided  with  every 
balm  for  the  terrified  conscience,  and  with  tears  of 
sympathy  and  words  of  love  for  the  bereaved. 
Religion  is  thought  something  which  may  be 
grasped,  when  we  are  compelled  to  let  go  our  hold 
of  life  and  of  everything  else  which  we  have  val- 
ued ;  a  last  resort,  a  provision  for  a  moment  of  des- 
titution or  despondency  ;  in  short,  a  dispensation 
of  unmingled  as  well  as  unmerited  grace.  To  cor- 
rect this  most  dangerous  misapprehension,  it  is  suf- 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  RELIGION.  [Q$ 

ficicnt,  perhaps,  only  to  have  stated  it ;  and  I  trust 
you  will  never  indulge  the  idea  that  you  may,  in 
the  last  extremity,  adopt  that  as  a  medicine,  which 
you  have  never  used  as  a  daily  nutriment,  or  that 
it  is  provided  as  an  opiate  for  your  last  agonies,  in- 
stead of  being  the  food  of  the  soul,  on  which  it 
must  have  been  nourished  to  everlasting  life. 

4.  Perhaps  I  have  already  anticipated  the 
misconceptions  of  those,  who  seem  to  regard 
religion  as  a  business  separate  from  the  usual 
occupations  of  life  ;  who  imagine  that,  in  order 
to  practise  it  with  propriety,  peculiar  circumstan- 
ces are  necessary,  and  that  peculiar  situations  must 
present  themselves.  Thus,  one  man  is  said  to 
have  time  for  religion,  another  is  said  to  have 
been  brought  up  to  it ;  and  it  is  thought  that  some- 
thing like  disgust  towards  the  usual  condition  of 
life,  must  be  excited,  before  religion  can  be  attend- 
ed to  with  any  earnestness  or  pleasure. 

That  man  has  unquestionably  a  mistaken  notion 
of  religion  who  supposes  it  to  be  impracticable  in 
any  lawful  condition  of  life.  It  must  first  be  the 
rule,  before  it  can  be  the  business  ;  and  when  it  is 
sufficiently  understood,  it  will  only  regulate,  and 
by  no  means  banish  our  customary  occupations. 
It  may  be  superadded  to,  or  associated  with  all  the 
varieties  of  an  innocent  and  useful  life,  limiting, 
controlling,  inspiring,  and  purifying  the  whole 
course  of  the  thoughts,  the  conversation,  and  the 
actions.  It  is  this  false  notion  of  the  separate  ex- 
istence, if  I  may  so  express  it,  of   the  religious 


104  SERMON  VII. 

character,  that  has  generated  the  swarms  of  un- 
profitable ecclesiastics,  mystics,  monks,  devotees, 
and  fanatics  in  Christendom.  It  is  this  mistake, 
which  leads  the  sensual  and  worldly  to  say  to  their 
faithful  monitors,  in  their  moments  of  compunction, 
'  I  look  forward  to  the  time  when  I  shall  have  more 
leisure  to  attend  to  the  subject.  I  wish  to  escape 
from  the  pressure  of  my  cares,  that  I  may  think 
of  God,  but  at  present  I  find  no  disposition  to  at- 
tend to  the  subject.' 

When  I  say  that  religion  is  not  a  separate  em- 
ployment, it  is  also  true,  that  the  Christian  walks 
by  faith  and  not  by  sight ;  but  he  is  travelling  the 
same  road  with  his  neighbours,  he  must  adopt  the 
same  conveniences,  and  share  in  the  common  ac- 
commodations of  the  way.  The  difference  be- 
tween the  religious  man  and  others,  is,  that  he 
keeps  always  in  view  the  end  of  his  journey.  By 
this,  he  regulates  his  time,  his  repose,  his  plea- 
sures, his  movements,  and  all  the  changes  of  his 
course.  The  irreligious  man,  on  the  contrary, 
imagines  himself  sent  into  the  world  on  a  mere 
excursion  of  pleasure.  He  stops  by  the  way  side, 
he  riots  where  he  stops,  he  is  impoverished,  he  is 
ruined. 

5.  Another  false  notion  of  religion  is  that, 
which  makes  it  to  consist  in  certain  unexplained 
impulses  of  the  mind,  or  sensations  of  pleasure  in 
particular  views  of  Christianity,  which  cannot  be 
made  intelligible  to  those  who  have  not  experienc- 
ed these  sensations. 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  RELIGION.  105 

This  propensity  to  make  religion  a  spirit  which 
is  infused  into  the  mind,  rather  than  a  healthy 
state  of  all  the  affections  and  the  perfection  of  that 
nature  which  we  receive  originally  from  Clod,  is 
extremely  flattering  to  the  vanity  of  man.  It 
establishes  at  once,  a  kind  of  distinction,  under- 
stood however  only  by  those  who  boast  of  this 
rare  faculty.  It  makes  grace  a  privilege  to  dis- 
tinguish the  possessor,  rather  than  a  talent,  which 
all  men  may  obtain  and  improve.  It  removes  all 
the  tests  of  real  goodness  out  of  the  observation  of 
the  world,  and  places  the  standard  in  the  feelings 
of  the  person,  where  it  is  accessible  only  by  him 
who  has  the  testimony  of  the  spirit  within  himself. 
It  seems  to  imply  that,  for  the  purpose  of  attaining 
truth,  on  the  subject  of  religion,  a  new  faculty 
must  be  created  in  the  mind,  the  operations  of 
which  are  not  to  be  regulated  by  the  common  laws 
of  belief,  or  explained  in  analogy  with  the  com- 
mon nature  of  man. 

By  these  remarks,  I  am  very  far  from  asserting 
that  the  feelings,  sympathies,  hopes,  and  fears  of  a 
man  truly  religious,  arc  not  very  different  from 
those  of  men  who  have  never  made  it  a  subject  of 
serious  reflection,  or  who  have  never  resolved  to 
guide  their  conduct  by  its  laws.  But  I  mean  on- 
ly to  assert,  that  there  is  nothing  extraordinary  in 
a  religious  habit  of  the  mind  ;  nothing  which  may 
not  be  explained  by  the  common  laws  of  the  hu- 
man character,  by  the  operation  of  religious  mo- 
tives, and  the  influence  of  hope,  fear,  and  love 
14 


10G  SERMON  VII. 

when  enlightened  with  a  knowledge  of  our  duty, 
and  grounded  on  the  simple  truths  of  the  gospel. 
Religion  must  either  be  recommended  by  argu- 
ments, which  cannot  be  confuted,  or  by  good  ef- 
fects, which  cannot  be  denied.  If  no  further  ac- 
count is  to  be  given  of  it,  than  that  it  is  a  special 
favor  vouchsafed  to  individuals,  and  that  no 
words  can  describe  its  operation,  all  I  can  say  is, 
that  it  must  be. left  to  those  who  possess  it,  while 
we  endeavour  to  make  the  best  use  we  can  of  our 
common  interpretation  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

From  what  has  been  said  on  the  subject  of  sen- 
sation in  religion,  I  beg  that  it  may  not  be  under- 
stood that  I  am  insensible  of  the  importance  of 
the  affections.  I  know  that  without  them,  we 
shall  never  find  the  ways  of  religion  ways  of 
pleasantness,  and  all  her  paths  peace.  I  would 
only  contend  against  that  vanity,  or  that  fanaticism, 
which  would  make  the  peculiarities  of  one  man's 
feelings,  the  test  of  another's  sincerity,  or  which 
spends  itself  in  exertions  to  excite  a  frame  of 
mind,  which  produces  little  other  good  to  ourselves 
or  others,  than  merely  to  exhilarate  while  it  lasts. 

I  have  not  dwelt  so  long  upon  this  species  of 
misapprehension  of  the  nature  of  religion,  because 
I  think  it  the  error  into  which  you,  my  hearers, 
are  most  likely  to  fall ;  but  only  to  guard  you 
against  the  progress  of  an  evil,  which,  though 
small  and  secret  in  its  kindlings,  may  easily  rise 
into  a  conflagration  which  will  burn  till  it  strips 
society  of  its  comfort  and  its  ornament. 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  RELIGION.  107 

And  now,  my  friends,  to  close  this  most  impor- 
tant division  of  my  discourse,  I  cannot  forbear 
saying,  that  no  mistake  of  the  nature  of  Chris- 
tianity, which  is  at  the  same  time  accompanied 
with  a  supreme  fear  of  offending  God,  or  with  an 
unaffected  love  of  the  well-being  of  others,  is  hah' 
so  much  to  be  dreaded  and  to  be  lamented,  as 
that  profound  supineness  and  indifference  to  reli- 
gion, which  sometimes  assumes  the  name  and  the 
honors  of  liberality.  Any  existing  form  of  super- 
stition, any  of  the  common  stages  of  fanaticism, 
is  to  be  preferred  to  that  dead,  sensual,  worldly 
heart,  which  has  never  feared,  never  thought,  and 
never  resolved  upon  the  service  of  God.  Rather 
let  us  suffer  all  the  terrors  of  superstition,  and 
hear  the  voice  of  an  angry  God  in  every  blast 
that  rushes  by  us,  or  fear  his  frowns  in  every  soli- 
tude, than  live  on  without  God  in  the  world,  with- 
out thought  of  eternity,  in  luxury,  in  selfishness, 
in  secret  sins,  with  the  false  and  fearful  misappre- 
hension, that  religion  will  come  at  last  and  offer 
us  mercy  in  our  departing  hour.  Far  better  would 
it  be  to  spend  our  lives  in  the  most  childish  acts 
of  superstition,  to  count  our  beads  and  macerate 
our  bodies,  than  that  our  hearts  should  be  destitute 
of  the  love  of  God,  or  that  we  should  imagine  a 
religion  may  be  tolerated  by  the  God  of  love,  in 
which  our  affections  have  no  share. 

II.  I  come  now  to  the  second  part  of  my  dis- 
course, in  which  I  shall  attempt  to  give  you  some 
notion  of  the  characteristic  spirit  of  Christianity. 


108  SERMON  VII. 

The  spirit  of  Christianity  is  that  which  is  pe- 
culiar and  essential  to  it,  and  which  may  exist 
where  its  forms  are  impracticable,  and  where  the 
terms  of  belief  are  not  defined.  It  is  that  which 
constitutes  a  man  a  Christian  always,  and  every- 
where ;  in  his  church  or  in  his  family,  in  his  prayers 
or  his  pleasures,  in  the  fulness  of  his  strength  or 
in  the  last  fainting  exercises  of  his  expiring  life. 

1.  The  spirit  of  our  religion  is,  first,  then,  a 
spirit  of  faith.  This  always  has  been,  and  always 
must  be  the  earliest  principle  of  a  religious  char- 
acter. For  it  approximates  what  is  remote,  it 
illustrates  what  is  obscure,  makes  us  see  what  is 
invisible,  feel  what  is  intellectual,  realize  as 
present  what  is  actually  future,  and  receive  as 
strictly  certain,  what  is  in  truth  only  highly  proba- 
ble. As  the  apostle  says,  it  is  the  substance  of 
things  hoped  for,  and  the  evidence  of  things  un- 
seen and  future.  The  spirit  of  faith  is  also  a 
spirit  of  confidence  in  God,  like  that  of  a  child  in 
the  paternal  character  of  a  father,  or  like  that  of 
a  pupil  in  the  superior  wisdom  and  information  of 
a  master.  The  Christian  feels  the  highest  trust  in 
the  wisdom  of  God,  and  a  tranquillizing  persua- 
sion of  the  benevolence  of  his  designs.  He  an- 
ticipates, with  as  strong  a  confidence,  the  accom- 
plishment of  God's  purposes  in  a  future  life,  as  he 
expects  the  events  of  the  next  week,  or  of  the 
next  morning.  Hence  all  that  he  enjoys,  and  all 
that  he  suffers,  he  enjoys  or  suffers  with  some 
remote  or  immediate   reference  to  his  future  ex- 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  RELIGION.  ]  09 

istcncc ;  in  taking  a  view  of  his  own  life,  he  can- 
not but  include,  at  every  glance,  ages  beyond  the 
tomb.  It  is  the  privilege  of  faith  to  furnish  light 
along  this  length  of  being.  This  is  not  a  spirit  of 
credulity,  but  of  trust;  nor  of  presumption,  but 
of  tranquil  hope ;  nor  of  pride,  for  it  is  a  persua- 
sion accessible  to  all ;  nor  of  dogmatism,  but  of 
legitimate  and  rational  conviction.  Deprive  man 
of  this  faith,  make  it  impossible  or  absurd,  and 
our  situation  is  like  that  of  children  without  a 
protector  ;  we  wander  about,  away  from  our  Father 
in  heaven,  to  lie  down  at  last  in  death,  with  the 
fallen  leaves  to  cover  us. 

2.  The  spirit  of  Christianity  is,  secondly,  a 
spirit  of  devotion.  God,  who  compasseth  the 
path  of  his  servants  is  also  in  all  their  thoughts. 
The  idea  of  God  can  never  present  itself  to  the 
mind  of  a  real  Christian,  when  he  is  not  prepared 
to  entertain  it ;  therefore  it  is  never  unpleasant, 
never  oppressive.  He  sees  God  in  everything ; 
the  ordinary,  as  well  as  the  extraordinary,  the 
minute,  as  well  as  the  vast ;  the  painful,  the  pleas- 
ant, the  material,  the  intellectual.  To  him  all 
other  objects  are  secondary ;  God  is  ultimate. 
Therefore,  while  God  lives,  he  lives  within  his  in- 
fluence, and  can  lose  nothing,  he  can  want  noth- 
ing. He  cannot  look  out  upon  nature  without 
carrying  his  thoughts  to  its  Author ;  and  all  the 
happiness  which  meets  his  observation,  the  activity 
and  health  of  the  inferior  orders  of  creatures,  even 
the  fruitfulness  of  the  soil,  the  sunshine,  the  rain, 


HO  SERMON  VII. 

the  seed  time,  the  harvest,  remind  him  of  God,  as 
we  see  an  absent  friend  in  the  place  where  he  sat, 
the  books  he  has  read,  the  lines  he  has  written, 
or  the  tokens  he  has  left  us  of  his  remembrance. 

The  world  the  Christian  lives  in,  is  God's;  the 
beings  he  loves  and  converses  with  are  God's ;  the 
joys  he  reaps  are  God's  gifts ;  the  disappoint- 
ments he  encounters  are  God's  arrangements  ;  the 
changes  in  external  nature,  in  his  affections,  his 
pleasures,  his  pains,  are  to  him  perpetual  indica- 
tions of  God's  superintending  care. 

A  devotional  spirit  gives  also  a  cast  of  sublimity 
to  the  most  ordinary  character.  It  is  this  spirit 
which  consecrates  the  habits  of  a  man's  mind,  and 
lifts  him  into  such  a  sphere  that  angels  may  hold 
converse  with  him.  He  takes  a  station  among 
the  orders  of  God's  creatures,  which  earthly  and 
sensual  men,  however  dignified  by  fame  or  honor, 
may  look  up  to  with  reverence.  The  peculiar 
character  of  christian  devotion,  unlike  all  other, 
is  filial.  The  access  to  God  is  free.  Every  em- 
barrassment is  removed  from  the  sincere  votary, 
and  his  worship  must  be  frank,  filial,  simple,  and 
reverential. 

3.  The  spirit  of  Christianity  is,  thirdly,  a  spirit  of 
love.  1  need  not  here  repeat  the  passages,  which 
assure  us  that  he  that  dwelleth  in  love,  dwelleth 
in  God  and  God  in  him.  If  there  ever  was  a 
scheme  which  had  love  for  its  origin,  its  tendency, 
and  its  consummation,  it  is  that  of  the  gospel. 
The  man  who  embraces  it,  shares  a  benefit  with 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  RELIGION.  ]  \  \ 

millions  of  individuals,  it  may  be  of  worlds.  It  is 
impossible  for  a  man,  who  i.j  interested  in  the  me- 
diation of  the  Son  of  God,  ever  to  feel  as  if  he 
were  alone  in  the  world ;  for,  in  his  relation  to  Je- 
sus, he  is  bound  to  others  by  that  fine  union  of 
sentiment,  which  cannot  be  felt  in  the  perishing 
connexions  of  time. 

Christianity  binds  us  so  closely  to  the  happiness 
of  the  universe,  that  the  Christian  rejoices  continu- 
ally in  the  prospect  of  good.  He  sacrifices,  without 
a  sigh,  innumerable  personal  accommodations,  to 
that  comprehensive  object  of  benevolence,  the  re- 
covery of  human  nature.  He  must  inevitably 
grow  rich  himself,  as  well  as  enrich  others,  by  eve- 
ry privation  to  which  he  submits  for  the  sake  of 
those  for  whom  Jesus  died. 

He  must  also  find  perpetual  satisfaction  in  the 
exercise  of  christian  love,  because  there  is  not  a 
man  on  earth  who  has  not  some  claim  to  his  in- 
terest. In  the  prospective  benevolence  of  God, 
we  are  all  equally  dear.  And  even  now,  when 
we  find  ourselves  among  innumerable  pilgrims, 
travelling  to  the  same  grave,  wanting  the  same 
consolations,  exposed  to  the  same  fearful  changes, 
the  same  heart-rending  sorrows,  and  even  the  same 
final  loss,  and  at  last  brought  forth  by  the  same 
resurrection  to  stand  before  the  same  Judge,  with 
an  untried  region  of  life  before  us ;  and  when  we 
add  to  this  the  single  word,  eternity,  even  the  poor 
embryo,  who  scarcely  may  be  called  an  intellect- 
ual being,  is  to  the  Christian  a  precious  life. 


112  SERMON  VII. 

4.  Once  more  ;  the  spirit  of  Christianity  is  a  spirit 
of  joy.  Not  that  the  tranquillity  of  a  Christian  is 
not  liable  to  be  disturbed  by  the  pains  and  suffer- 
ings of  human  nature,  or  that  he  exhibits  the  in- 
considerate folly  of  the  perpetually  riotous  and 
gay.  But  the  state  of  his  affections  should  be 
that  of  humble  and  devoted  tranquillity.  To  re- 
joice in  the  paternal  character  of  a  being  of  whose 
presence  you  can  never  be  unconscious,  to  adore 
a  being  of  whose  protection  you  can  never  des- 
pair, or  whose  direction  of  your  lot  you  can  never 
suppose  to  be  otherwise  than  merciful  and  just,  is 
surely  all  that  can  be  necessary  to  permanent  joy. 

It  is  the  spirit  of  Christianity  to  rejoice  in  the 
present,  the  past,  and  the  future  ;  in  the  present, 
because  our  joys  and  sorrows  are  not  at  this  mo- 
ment ultimate,  but  means  to  a  future  end.  What 
we  call  calamity,  or  good  fortune,  in  the  affairs  of 
states,  or  of  individuals,  in  the  eye  of  a  Christian, 
are  only  footsteps  of  the  revolutions  of  Providence, 
which  are  not  to  be  dwelt  upon  with  anxious  in- 
terest. He  rejoices  in  the  past,  because  he  has 
found  in  his  own  experience,  that  what  he  dread- 
ed as  sufferings,  are  truly  pleasures  in  retrospec- 
tion, and  what  he  regarded  as  disappointments, 
proved  '  blessings  in  disguise.'  He  rejoices  in  the 
future,  because  it  is  God's,  and  God's  only ;  and 
as  he  approaches  the  period  of  his  own  dissolution, 
he  finds  the  western  hemisphere  lighted  up  with 
streaks  of  setting  lustre,  and  he  looks  forward  with 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  RELIGION.  ]]3 

humble  hope,  to  an  eternity  of  progressive  improve- 
ment and  happiness. 

My  friends,  I  can  extend  these  remarks  no  fur- 
ther. Believe  me,  whatever  we  may  call  our- 
selves, whatever,  in  the  hour  of  occasional  reflec- 
tion, we  may  wish  to  be,  it  remains  as  certain  as 
the  word  of  God,  he  that  hath  not  the  spirit  of 
Christ  is  none  of  his,  and  the  fruit  of  this  spirit 
will  always  be  righteousness,  peace,  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost.  May  God  correct  our  errors,  in- 
spire our  breasts,  and  teach  us  to  feel  the  spirit  of 
his  religion. 


15 


SERMON  VIII. 


RELIGIOUS  SERIOUSNESS. 


Matthew,  XXII.  5. 

BUT    THEY    MADE    LIGHT    OF    IT,    AND    WENT    THEIR   WAY. 

The  difference  in  the  circumstances  of  Chris- 
tians at  the  present  day,  and  at  the  introduction 
of  the  gospel,  is  truly  astonishing.  The  change 
in  the  external  circumstances  of  the  church,  and 
of  course  in  the  nature  of  the  temptations  to 
which  men  are  exposed  upon  assuming  the  chris- 
tian name,  merit,  my  friends,  our  most  serious 
consideration.  Then  it  was  a  name  of  unequalled 
reproach.  Christians  were  everywhere  at  first 
confounded  by  the  pagan  world  with  the  Jews, 
among  whom  the  new  religion  took  its  rise ;  and 
the  name  of  Jew  was  then  synonymous  with  all 
that  was  base,  odious,  and  despicable.  The  situ- 
ation of  Christians  among  the  Jews  themselves, 
was  even  less  tolerable  than  among  heathens. 
They  were  regarded  as  apostates  from  Moses  and 


RELIGIOUS  SERIOUSNESS.  H5 

traitors  to  God.  The  assemblies  of  the  persecut- 
ed disciples  were  at  first  held  in  secret,  often  un- 
der ground,  and  usually  in  the  night.  He  who  had 
the  courage  to  enter  this  community,  renounced, 
by  this  single  act,  every  worldly  prospect,  and  not 
seldom  all  the  peace  and  credit  of  his  life.  Often 
was  the  Christian  obliged  to  sever  the  tenderest 
ties  of  consanguinity,  and,  instead  of  love,  to 
meet  with  hatred ;  instead  of  honor,  with  re- 
proach ;  instead  of  peace,  with  persecution  ;  in- 
stead of  consequence,  with  contempt  and  obscuri- 
ty. Do  you  ask,  what  was  sufficient  to  induce 
them  to  these  sacrifices  ?  I  answer  in  a  word, 
Truth.  Do  you  ask,  what  they  gained  in  the  loss 
of  all  the  world  esteemed  ?  1  answer,  The  power 
of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding. 

How  altered  is  the  condition  of  the  church  ! 
The  little  band  of  twelve  disciples  has  grown  into 
a  vast  multitude,  which  no  man  can  number. 
Eighteen  centuries  have  been  adding,  with  in- 
creasing rapidity,  to  the  numbers,  the  wealth,  the 
security,  the  consequence,  the  triumphs  of  the 
christian  world.  The  profession  of  Christians  is 
no  longer  a  badge  of  an  enviable,  or  a  dishonora- 
ble distinction.  A  name  which  was  once  the  sig- 
nal of  suffering,  is  now  hardly  a  mark  of  attention. 
The  Christian,  like  others,  accumulates  his  wealth 
in  safety  ;  like  others,  he  wears  his  honors  thick 
upon  him.  He  mingles  with  the  bustling,  the  plea- 
surable, and  the  gay,  and  no  finger  of  scorn  is 


116  SERMON  VIII. 

pointed  at  him.     He  may  be  obscure  and  useless', 
and   no  one   explores  his  retreat ;    he  may  be  fa- 
mous,  and    no    one    plots  against   his   elevation. 
Without  are  no  fightings,  within  are  no  fears  ;  and 
the  harrassed  and  humbled  Jesus,   who  had    not 
where  to  lay  his  head,  might,  if  he  were  to  return 
again  to  earth,  repose  every  night  under  the  rich 
canopies  and  lofty  ceilings  of  thousands  who  bear 
his  name,  and  feast  every  day  at  tables  where  it 
would  be  necessary  to  work  no  miracle  to  furnish 
food  for  the  guests.     All,  all  is  peaceful,  except 
the  inquietude  of  ambition,  the  insatiableness  of 
avarice,  and  the  mutual  prejudices,   and  conflict- 
ing interests  of  the  followers  of  the  humble  Jesus. 
Whence,  then,  this  mighty  transformation  ?  Can 
it  be  that  a  community,  which  originally  grew  by 
persecution  and  contempt,  retains  its  proper  char- 
acter, when  there  is  neither  reproach  nor  suffer- 
ing to  retard  nor  to  promote  it  ?     Have  wre  now 
nothing  to  contend  with,  that  is  worth  resisting  ? 
nothing  now  to  fear,  that  can  fill  us  with  anxiety, 
or  kindle  us  with  hope  ?     Would  to  God  that  the 
dread  of  religious  sloth,  the  dangers  of  worldli- 
ness,  the  temptations  to  forget  our  character  as 
Christians,  were  able  to  bind  us  as  closely  together 
as  the  scorn  and  cruelty  of  enemies  from  without ! 
It  may  be,  that  the  dreadful  days  of  Nero  and 
Dioclesian  are  not  to  be  recollected  with  horror. 
It  may  be,  more  souls  are  now  perishing  in  the 
debilitating  air  of  peace,  than  were  lost  to  God  in 


RELIGIOUS  SERIOUSNESS.  H7 

all  the  tempest  of  persecution.  It  may  be,  that 
we  have  slumbered  till  the  last  blaze  has  flashed, 
and  our  lamps  have  gone  out. 

Of  all  the  subjects  which  engage  the  attention 
of  men,  religion  is  unquestionably  the  most  im- 
portant, because  it  relates  to  the  soul  rather  than 
to  the  body,  to  God  as  well  as  to  society,  to  eter- 
nity as  well  as  to  the  present  world. 

No  man  has  ever  thought  seriously  as  he  should 
do,  on  this  subject,  but  it  must  return  to  him  again 
with  more  force  and  frequency,  after  every  new 
contemplation,  tending  continually  to  this  point, 
to  make  religion  not  only  the  rule,  but  the  busi- 
ness of  his  life.  A  man,  who  believes  nothing  of 
Christianity,  may  naturally  consider  it  a  subject  of 
little  importance  ;  but  he  who  is  convinced  of  its 
truth,  because  he  has  thought  of  it,  will  not,  can- 
not rest  at  that  point.  He  will  consider  it  incom- 
parably the  most  important  thing  in  life.  It  is 
that  to  which  everything  else  may  be  sacrificed, 
if  God  should  demand  it ;  and  this  sacrifice  may 
be  made  without  justly  exciting  wonder,  or  suppos- 
ing irrationality.  He  who  is  accustomed  to  con- 
sider himself  in  the  light  in  which  the  gospel 
places  us  all,  as  a  sinful  creature,  whose  hope, 
here  and  hereafter,  is  only  in  the  mercy  of  God  ; 
he  who  places  heaven  and  hell  before  his  sight, 
and  feels  that  his  utmost  exertions  are  necessary 
to  secure  the  one,  and  avoid  the  other,  such  a 
man,  I  say,  must  be  as  different  from  one  who  be- 


1  ]  3  SERMON  VIII. 

lieves  nothing  of  all  this,  as  if  a  new  sense  had 
been  imparted  to  him. 

Unquestionably,  one  principal  cause  of  the  fee- 
ble hold  which  subjects  of  religion  have  upon  the 
mind,  is  the  fancied  remoteness  of  their  objects, 
and  the  spiritual  nature  of  the  subjects  of  religious 
contemplation.  What  is  immediately  perceptible, 
tangible,  pleasurable,  or  profitable,  excites  more 
emotion  than  any  of  those  spiritual  truths,  which 
a  man  must  study  his  own  heart  in  order  to  under- 
stand. To  excite  this  attention  is  the  great  object 
of  our  preaching  ;  and,  to  introduce  my  subject 
more  immediately,  I  give  you  this  anecdote  of  one 
of  the  most  amiable  men  the  world  ever  knew. 
In  his  last  illness  he  was  attended  by  a  friend, 
who  desired  him,  in  his  great  wisdom  and  learn- 
ing, to  give  him  a  short  direction  how  to  lead  his 
life  to  the  best  advantage  ;  to  whom  he  only  said, 
'  Be  serious  ;  this  is  my  parting  advice  to  you,  as 
what  comprehends  everything  else  I  have  said,  be 

SERIOUS. 

My  friends,  till  this  seriousness  is  in  some  way 
excited,  our  labors  are  useless.  The  language 
of  the  preacher  rolls  over  the  attention  like  the 
morning  dewdrops  from  the  leaf,  which  fall  to  the 
ground  where  they  cannot  be  gathered  up  again. 
It  is  true,  this  serious  temper  may  in  some  cases 
be  produced  by  an  alarming  providence,  a  probing 
discourse,  and  even  by  private  and  inconsiderable 
occurrences,  which  the  world  does  not  observe. 


RELIGIOUS  SERIOUSNESS.  H9 

In  others,  where  this  disposition  is  more  allied  to 
the  natural  temper,  it  may  be  insensibly  gaining 
strength,  as  the  character  matures,  though  no  very 
noticeable  change,  at  any  particular  period,  may 
have  occurred  to  draw  the  observation  of  the 
world.  It  is  of  infinite  importance,  especially  for 
the  rising  generation,  to  know  and  feel  that  this 
seriousness  is  not  enthusiasm  ;  that  if  what  the 
gospel  reveals  is  true,  and  we  have  so  much  to 
fear  and  so  much  to  hope  for,  beyond  the  limits  of 
this  mortal  life,  it  is  a  subject  which  no  rational 
man  can  long  think  of,  without  the  most  solemn 
impressions.  Our  levity  or  inattention  cannot 
affect  their  truth,  and  it  is  equally  certain  that 
every  moment  that  we  waste,  is  bringing  us  nearer 
to  the  time,  when  we  shall  be  satisfied  of  the  re- 
ality of  what  we  are  now  only  urged  to  believe. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  point  out  the  difference 
between  that  seriousness  which  is  the  result  of 
deep  impressions  of  religion,  and  some  other  states 
of  mind,  which  may  be  mistaken  for  it,  or,  at 
least,  are  thought  to  supply  its  place  ;  and  then 
I  shall  offer  what  I  believe  to  be  some  of  the  char- 
acteristics of  religious  seriousness. 

In  the  first  place,  there  is  in  some  men  a  cer- 
tain constitutional  moderation  and  sedateness  of 
mind,  which  passes  for  a  serious  temper.  These 
are  persons  of  extreme  regularity  of  life  ;  men  who 
are  never  thrown  off  their  guard  by  violent  emo- 
tions, either  of  joy  or  of  apprehension,  as  to  this 
world   or   the  next.      There   is   usually  in   such 


]20  SERMON  VIII. 

characters  a  great  fund  of  worldly  wisdom  and  of 
prudence,  which  keeps  them  aloof  from  excesses, 
and  disposes  them  always  to  wish  that  the  world 
may  go  on  as  it  has  done.  They  are  afraid  of 
any  novelty  or  change  in  the  state  of  affairs  im- 
mediately around  them  ;  and  hence  they  are  the 
advocates  for  a  peaceable  continuance  of  old  hab- 
its. They  are  what  are  called  steady  men  and 
are  indeed  of  great  value  to  the  well-being  of  the 
community.  They  are  held  out  to  the  young  as 
examples  of  what  they  should  aspire  to  imitate  ; 
and  it  is  much  to  be  desired  that  such  a  class  of 
men,  who  are  not  the  slaves  of  any  visible  vices, 
and  not  the  promoters  of  any  species  of  irregu- 
larity, should  increase  in  a  community  and  give  it 
stability  and  respect.  But  the  sedateness  which 
arises  merely  from  moderated  passions  or  selfish- 
ness, and  the  sobriety  proceeding  merely  from  an- 
cient and  regular  habits,  are  very  different  from 
that  seriousness  which  is  produced  by  an  habitual 
contemplation  of  the  solemn  truths  which  the  gos- 
pel unfolds  to  us.  This  constitutional  solidity  of 
character,  may  exist  with  the  utmost  indifference 
to  religious  truth.  It  may  exist  in  a  mind  which 
never  has  been  touched  with  the  grand  thought  of 
eternity,  and  never  has  inquired,  with  trembling 
apprehension,  what  it  shall  do  to  be  saved.  That 
kind  of  religious  insensibility,  which"  presents  no- 
thing offensive  in  the  external  conduct,  that  uni- 
form sobriety  of  deportment,  which  is  never  be- 
trayed into  any  extravagance,  which  is  perfectly 


RELIGIOUS  SERIOUSNESS.  121 

contented  with  itself,  and  conforms  to  the  exter- 
nal faith  of  a  community,  is  the  most  difficult  dis- 
position in  the  world  to  awaken.  There  is  no 
reaching  such  a  heart  by  the  ordinary  applica- 
tions from  the  pulpit.  It  is  almost  impracticable 
to  probe  a  conscience  which  has  never  seriously 
reproached  itself.  The  character  I  have  been 
describing  is  extremely  common.  It  is  not  a  re- 
ligious, it  is  a  selfish,  though  a  regular  character. 
The  man  of  truly  serious  impressions  is  often  ex- 
ercised with  the  most  solemn  contemplations,  the 
most  moving  anxieties,  the  most  humble  and  de- 
votional sentiments.  Real  seriousness  offers  a 
ground  for  continual  exertion  and  improvement ; 
but  the  mere  sobriety  of  a  worldly  man,  is  always 
the  same,  always  self-complacent,  and  therefore 
always  stationary. 

2.  There  is  another  class  of  serious  men,  which 
I  choose  to  rank  under  this  head,  because  their 
character,  though  more  intellectual,  is  hardly  less 
removed  from  the  seriousness  of  a  religious  mind. 
I  mean  the  class  of  sedentary  and  studious  men, 
whose  pursuits,  though  they  are  intellectual  and 
interesting,  are  not  sanctified  by  any  reference  to 
God.  This  kind  of  life  is  extremely  apt  to  flat- 
ter a  man's  self-complacency,  and  draw  him  ofV 
from  a  serious  consideration  of  the  most  important 
subjects  in  the  world,  the  state  of  his  own  heart, 
and  his  relation  to  God  and  to  eternity.  It  is  a 
state  of  mind,  which  deceives  the  most  thoughtful, 
because  it  engrosses  him  with  contemplations, 
16 


J  22  SERMON  VIII. 

which,  though  not  as  hallowed  and  sublime  as 
those  of  religion,  are  yet  very  much  above  the  or- 
dinary occupations  of  the  world.  But  this  studious 
disposition  may  exist  together  with  a  total  igno- 
rance of  the  most  secret  faults  and  corruptions  of 
the  heart,  the  knowledge  of  which  is  the  real  foun- 
dation of  a  religious  character. 

3.  Religious  seriousness  of  temper  is  to  be  care- 
fully distinguished  from  that  constitutional  melan- 
choly, with  which  it  is  sometimes  associated.  It 
is  a  favorite  habit  with  many  men,  to  account  for 
any  instance  of  mental  despondency  or  derange- 
ment, by  ascribing  it,  when  they  can,  to  religious 
impressions.  It  is  true  that  in  some  minds,  pre- 
disposed to  this  dreadful  disorder,  it  may  perhaps 
be  occasioned  by  new  and  alarming  views  of  reli- 
gion ;  and  it  is  to  be  expected,  that  where  the 
most  solemn  subjects  have  gained  possession  of  a 
mind  of  this  cast,  they  should  contribute  to  that 
fearful  melancholy,  which  the  state  of  the  health 
originally  promoted,  and  even  that  they  should 
appear  most  prominent  in  the  thoughts  and  con- 
versation of  the  person  affected.  But,  even  here, 
it  is  no  more  to  be  supposed  that  religion  is  the 
necessary  source  of  such  despondency,  than  so 
far  as  religion,  when  it  gains  possession  of  such  a 
mind,  must,  from  its  very  nature,  engross  it  more 
completely  than  any  other  contemplations.  The 
seriousness  of  a  truly  penitent  mind  is  something 
different  from  any  state  of  the  body,  or  any  disor- 
dered condition  of  the  nerves.     There  is  no  more 


RELIGIOUS  SERIOUSNESS.  123 

religion  in  melancholy,  abstractly  considered,  than 
there  is  in  levity,  or  an  excessive  flow  of  animal 
spirits.  On  the  contrary,  where  religious  ideas 
are  firmly  established  in  the  mind,  where  they 
are  distinctly  apprehended  and  properly  associat- 
ed with  all  the  habits  of  thinking,  they  are  the 
best  security  against  the  usual  causes  of  despon- 
dency, and  most  effectually  counteract  the  ten- 
dencies which  the  constitution  may  possess  to- 
wards melancholy.  Certain  I  am,  that  the  care- 
ful observation  of  the  character  of  the  most  hum- 
ble and  pious  men,  will  correct  this  misapprehen- 
sion. It  is  true,  that  a  man  of  habitual  seriousness, 
will  see  much  levity  in  the  world  which  he  can- 
not approve,  and  much  enjoyment,  which  he  must 
regard  as  dangerous  in  its  present  effects,  and  in 
its  future  consequences.  But  still  he  will  be  al- 
ways cheerful,  always  serene ;  he  will  be  ready  to 
follow  the  injunction  of  the  apostle  and  'rejoice 
always.' 

Lastly ;  religious  seriousness  is  to  be  careful- 
ly distinguished  from  that  spirit  of  discontent  and 
surly  despondency,  of  which  we  see  so  many  ex- 
amples. It  is  one  thing  to  be  disappointed  in  our 
expectations  from  this  world,  and  another  to  be 
really  solicitous  about  our  fate  in  the  next.  It  is 
one  thing  to  be  dissatisfied  with  the  lot  which 
Providence  assigns  us  here,  and  another  to  be  so 
far  interested  in  the  prospect  of  futurity  as  to  be 
indifferent  to  the  pleasures  and  pursuits  in  which 
the  world  is  engaged.     It  is  one  thing  to  despise 


124  SERMON  VIII. 

a  pleasure,  because  we  cannot  share  in  it,  and  an- 
other to  regard  it  with  indifference,  because  it 
would  interfere  with  our  more  serious  pursuits. 
The  pensive  cast  of  a  querulous  man's  temper,  is 
not  in  any  degree  more  favorable  to  religious  im- 
pressions, than  the  vain  and  light  frivolity  of  an 
unreflecting  and  giddy  mind.  The  man  of  real 
seriousness,  is  also  a  man  of  humility.  He  com- 
pares himself  as  he  is,  with  himself  as  he  ought  to 
be  ;  and  his  dissatisfaction  is  not  with  the  world, 
but  with  himself.  He  is  not  depressed,  because  he 
is  not  thought  of  sufficient  consequence  in  society, 
or  because  he  cannot  fashion  his  situation  to  his 
mind  ;  but  he  is  serious  when  he  looks  at  his  own 
ill  deserts.  He  is  dissatisfied  with  the  world,  it  is 
true  ;  not  because  he  has  been  disappointed  in  his 
expectations,  but  because  he  sees  so  much  to 
shun,  and  so  much  to  fear.  The  thought  of  death 
makes  him  serious  ;  but  it  is  a  thought  which  he 
does  not  on  that  account  banish,  and  if  he  is  con- 
cerned to  die,  it  is  not  about  what  he  shall  leave, 
but  at  what  he  shall  find  hereafter.  Ambition,  en- 
vy, and  other  selfish  passions  may  cast  a  gloom  over 
the  features  and  depress  the  spirits.  But  these  are 
not  the  passions  which  make  men  serious ;  they 
rather  shut  up  the  mind  against  impressions  of 
real  devotion  and  the  access  of  religious  truth. 

It.  In  what  remains  of  this  discourse  I  shall 
endeavour  to  present  to  you,  as  I  proposed,  in  the 
second  place,  a  few  plain  characteristics  of  a  truly 
serious  mind.     What  I  shall  suggest  will  be  easily 


RELIGIOUS  SERIOUSNESS.  J26 

applicable  by  U3  to  our  individual  characters,  and 
will  not  be  in  danger  of  being  confounded  with 
the  effects  of  that  worldly  sedateness  which  we 
have  before  described. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  a  man  whose  heart  is 
habitually  subject  to  religious  influences,  will  not 
indulge  himself  on  any  occasion  in  that  levity  with 
which  religious  subjects  are  sometimes  inconsid- 
erately treated.  He  not  only  finds  it  impossible 
to  speak  contemptuously  or  lightly  of  God,  of  our 
Saviour,  of  the  rewards  and  punishments  of  anoth- 
er life,  but  he  will  not  even  indulge  himself  in 
rashly  condemning  the  mistaken,  but  conscientious 
opinions  of  pious  men.  Everything  connected 
with  eternity  or  the  future  condition  of  the  soul, 
becomes,  by  this  single  alliance,  a  subject  of  too 
great  importance  to  be  made  ridiculous.  He  is 
convinced  that  any  religious  impressions,  however 
irrational,  are  much  to  be  preferred  to  that  deadly 
indifference,  which  leaves  religion  entirely  out  of 
its  meditations.  Everything  in  conversation,  or  in 
conduct,  which  tends  to  weaken  the  influence  of 
religious  impressions,  or  to  excite  the  doubts  or 
fortify  the  prejudices  of  the  world  against  the 
gospel,  he  observes  with  pain.  It  is  a  sensibility 
in  the  cause  of  God  which  he  does  not  endeavour 
to  conceal.  He  is  willing  that  the  world  should 
know,  that  he  considers  the  Deity  too  awful  a  be- 
ing to  be  made  the  subject  of  an  impertinent  re- 
mark, and  the  uncertainties  of  the  future  world 
too  dreadful   to  be  the  sport  of  foolish  contempt 


]26  SERMON  VIII. 

or  thoughtless  vanity.  He  is  hurt  by  everything 
in  the  character  and  conduct  of  others,  which 
tends  to  place  subjects  of  everlasting  importance 
in  the  light  of  indifferent  facts,  or  convenient 
customs. 

2.  We  shall  perceive  another  criterion  of  re- 
ligious seriousness,  if  we  attend  to  the  manner  in 
which  we  observe  the  public  ordinances  of  God's 
worship.  We  can  easily  inform  ourselves,  by  a 
careful  examination  of  our  motives,  whether  we 
come  up  to  God's  house  of  prayer,  merely  from 
long  custom  or  decent  formality,  or  from  a  solemn 
regard  to  the  nature  of  the  duty  and  of  the  Being 
to  whom  worship  is  addressed ;  whether  we  ap- 
pear here  only  to  indulge  one  of  the  varieties  of 
curiosity,  or  whether  our  hearts  are  really  solicitous 
to  worship  God,  to  humble  ourselves,  and  gain 
instruction  or  encouragement  in  duty.  We  can 
judge  also  of  the  seriousness  of  our  tempers  by 
the  state  of  mind  in  which  we  observe  the  exercises 
of  worship.  If  we  find  our  thoughts  dissipated, 
and  our  attention  wandering,  it  implies  that  we 
are  not  sufficiently  impressed  with  the  solemnity 
of  our  employment.  It  argues  also  strongly  against 
the  seriousness  of  our  religious  views,  if  we  are 
more  disposed  to  be  wearied  with  the  tediousness, 
than  satisfied  with  the  devotion  of  the  service ;  if 
we  are  more  alive  to  any  impropriety  with  which 
it  may  be  conducted,  than  to  the  impressive  nature 
of  adoration,  the  humbling  influence  of  confession, 
the  tranquillizing  power  of  supplication,  and  the 


RELIGIOUS  SERIOUSNESS.  127 

solemnity  of  all  the  subjects  which  are  brought 
up  to  our  attention.  I  hesitate  not  to  lay  it  down 
as  an  infallible  maxim,  that  he  who  is  not  serious 
in  the  worship  of  God,  knows  nothing  of  religion, 
nothing  of  himself.  The  fear  of  God  has  never 
fallen  upon  him  ;  the  sense  of  God's  excellence, 
or  of  his  own  unworthiness,  has  never  obtained 
possession  of  his  mind. 

3.  A  third  test  of  the  seriousness  of  our  dispo- 
sitions we  shall  find,  whenever  we  consider  the 
nature  of  our  private  thoughts  on  this  subject,  and 
especially  of  our  private  devotions.  Perhaps,  in 
the  bustle  of  life  and  the  rapid  succession  of 
amusements  and  pleasures,  we  may  have  been  be- 
trayed into  follies  which  we  cannot  approve,  and 
occupations  which  shut  out  religion  from  our 
thoughts.  But  if  we  possess  a  really  serious  mind, 
whenever  we  can  retire  within  ourselves  and  en- 
gage in  our  secret  meditations,  we  shall  find  our 
sense  of  the  importance  of  religious  truth  return- 
ing, with  increased  influence,  to  our  minds ;  we 
shall  find  that  the  world,  in  which  we  have  been 
dissipated,  will  only  have  refreshed  our  interest 
and  enhanced  our  satisfaction  in  religious  contem- 
plations. 

If,  on  the  contrary,  we  find  that  our  pleasures 
in  society  have  only  made  our  devotions  cold,  our 
meditations  irksome,  our  religious  views  indistinct, 
our  expressions  formal,  and  have  shed  over  our 
minds  a  distaste  for  our  duty  and  our  religion,  it 
is  time  to  consider  whether   we  have   ever  been 


]28  SERMON  VIII. 

seriously  engaged  in  the  service  of  God.  It  is 
time  to  consider  whether  our  religion  is  not  a  mere 
compromise  only  between  God  and  the  world,  our 
conscience  and  our  passions. 

I  could  enlarge  on  this  subject,  but  I  forbear. 
I  will  only  say  to  you,  my  friends,  if  there  is  any- 
thing on  earth  to  make  a  man  serious,  it  is  death. 
And  uncertain  as  we  are  of  its  distance,  and  sure 
as  we  are  of  its  approach,  within  a  few  years  at 
most,  the  man  whom  this  thought  does  not  solem- 
nize, is  not  within  the  reach  of  other  considera- 
tions. Death  !  my  friends !  Is  it  a  mere  word,  or 
is  it  an  event  on  which  everything  depends  ? 
Whose  are  we  ?  Whither  are  we  tending  ?  What 
is  our  destination  ?  Has  God  spoken  to  us  on  this 
subject,  or  has  he  not  ?  If  he  has,  can  it  be  thought 
of  for  a  moment  with  indifference  ?  Till  you 
have  made  this,  then,  the  subject  of  your  most 
serious  considerations,  I  can  say  nothing  which 
can  reach  you  ;  and  when  you  have  regarded  it 
with  the  importance  which  it  demands,  I  can  say 
nothing  to  enhance  its  solemnity. 


SERMON   IX. 


OOD'S  PROVIDENCE  AS  SHOWN  IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  REVE- 
LATION. 


Acts,  XV.  IS. 

KNOWN    UNTO    GOD    ARE    ALL     HIS    WORKS    FROM    THE    BEGINNING    OF 
THE    WORLD. 

In  a  former  discourse  I  attempted  to  set  before 
you  those  proofs  of  the  providence  of  God,  which 
are  derived  from  a  contemplation  of  his  character, 
as  learned  from  the  appearances  of  nature.  In  the 
present  I  wish  to  bring  to  your  view  those  striking 
evidences  of  God's  superintendence  of  the  world 
which  are  found  in  the  history  of  revelation. 

Before  we  proceed,  however,  to  this  part  of  our 
subject,  allow  me  to  say,  that  if  there  is  sufficient 
reason  to  believe  that  God  has  ever  interposed  to 
reveal  his  own  character  and  will,  in  any  other 
way  than  by  the  unassisted  exercise  of  human  rea- 
son in  the  contemplation  of  his  works,  this  is  in 
itself  a  satisfactory  proof  of  his  providence.  Rev- 
elation, then,  is  in  itself  the  most  substantial  proof 
which  can  be  offered  of  this  great  truth.  But  has 
God  ever  thus  interfered  in  the  concerns  of  mor- 
17 


130  SERMON  IX. 

tals  ?  It  has  been  the  invariable  opinion  of  man- 
kind that  he  has ;  and  the  histories  which  are 
contained  in  the  Jewish  and  Christian  scriptures, 
are  full  of  such  relations.  Till,  therefore,  some 
reason  can  be  given,  that  the  facts  which  we  find 
these  books  to  contain,  are  impossible  or  improba- 
ble, they  are  unquestionably  entitled  to  the  same 
credit  with  any  other  authentic  works. 

These  books  contain  also  many  remarkable  pre- 
dictions. If,  then,  it  can  be  once  made  to  appear 
that  any  one  of  these  prophecies  has  been  circum- 
stantially accomplished,  the  proof  is  complete  of 
the  providence  and  superintendence  of  the  Divin- 
ity over  the  affairs  of  men. 

But  I  wish  to  enter  more  deeply  into  this  sub- 
ject of  revelation,  and  to  show  you,  if  possible, 
from  a  survey  of  the  different  dispensations  of 
which  the  bible  gives  us  an  account,  that  God 
has,  from  the  first,  maintained  a  moral  care  of 
mankind ;  that  he  has  been  seasonably  providing 
for  their  religious  wants,  and  has  been  carrying  on, 
from  the  creation  of  the  world,  a  vast  scheme  of 
human  improvement,  which  illustrates  his  natural 
and  moral  providence. 

The  bible,  my  friends,  is  distinguished  from  all 
other  books  that  were  ever  written,  or,  at  least, 
that  now  exist,  in  this  circumstance  ;  that  it  con- 
tains the  history  of  these  operations  and  purposes 
of  God.  Open  it  where  you  will,  and  you  find 
traces  of  these  operations.  God  is  the  grand  ob- 
ject which  it  presents.    His  work  is  the  great  busi- 


PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD.  ]31 

ness  which  it  discloses.  His  purposes  are  the 
grand  points  to  which  all  its  narratives  direct  us. 
In  this  book  man  appears  under  a  different  aspect 
from  that  in  which  he  appears  elsewhere  ;  as  a 
creature  under  the  moral  government  of  God, 
and  the  subject  of  God's  retributive  and  provisory 
care;  and  the  most  vast  and  interesting  views  are 
opened  of  human  destination  and  hopes. 

It  is  with  a  mixture  of  gratitude  and  of  awe,  that 
I  look  into  this  book.  It  contains  the  history  of 
God  and  man  in  their  connexion  and  intercommu- 
nication, and  it  is  the  only  work  which  throws 
any  satisfactory  light  on  the  origin,  and  progress, 
and  destination  of  the  human  race,  as  moral  crea- 
tures. We  find  here,  it  is  true,  many  extraordi- 
nary relations,  adapted  to  the  infancy  of  mankind, 
and  gradually  becoming  less  frequent,  as  the  fac- 
ulties were  unfolded  and  the  moral  notions  of  man- 
kind were  established.  But  even  in  the  history  of 
these,  we  find  the  same  proofs  of  a  wise  provi- 
dence, in  the  order  and  successive  perfection  of 
the  different  dispensations  of  religion,  that  we  find 
in  the  natural  growth  and  intellectual  progress  of 
individuals.  This  proof  of  the  divine  superinten- 
dence I  wish  now  to  trace  out  with  you. 

In  the  Jewish  and  Christian  scriptures  we  have 
a  history  of  a  portion  at  least  of  this  superinten- 
dence, and  the  portion  in  which  we  are  most 
interested  ;  of  what  may  have  been  vouchsafed  to 
other  natures,  we  know  not  the  manner,  nor  the 


132  SERMON  IX. 

extent.  After  ascribing  to  one  Supreme  God  the 
creation  and  peopling  of  the  world,  they  go  on  to 
explain  the  mode  by  which  God  maintained  his 
government  over  his  creatures,  and  gave  them  a 
just  sense  of  religious  and  moral  obligation.  Dur- 
ing this  period  of  the  world's  infancy,  we  find  that 
visible  intercourse  and  audible  communications  of 
the  Deity  were  common.  Before  mankind  had 
learnt  to  deduce  from  the  view  of  nature,  any  no- 
tion of  one  Supreme  Intelligence,  or  had  derived 
from  experience  any  directions  of  conscience,  or 
any  knowledge  of  their  real  good,  God  conde- 
scended to  instruct  them  frequently  and  copiously 
in  the  most  necessary  knowledge. 

The  history  tells  us  that  he  placed  the  first  pair 
in  a  garden,  under  a  prohibition  to  eat  of  the  fruit 
of  a  certain  tree  ;  but  they  yet,  yielding  to  a  temp- 
tation, disobeyed  and  became  subject  to  the  dread- 
ful consequences  of  transgression. 

In  this  original  dispensation  there  is  shadowed 
forth  to  us  the  situation  of  mankind  as  moral  be- 
ings. We  are  destined  to  a  species  of  happiness 
which  depends  upon  a  previous  probation.  The 
nature  of  virtue  and  happiness,  as  God  has  con- 
stituted it,  everywhere  supposes  a  capacity  of 
transgression,  and  a  period  of  trial.  In  the  history 
then  of  our  first  parents,  we  have  the  first  elements 
of  a  moral  government,  and  everything  which  we 
know  of  God,  justifies  his  appointment  of  this 
original  dispensation, 


PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD.  ]  33 

The  subsequent  condition  of  the  world,  as  a 
state  of  labor,  difficulty,  temptation,  and  death, 
is  represented  as  the  consequence  of  this  trans- 
gression of  Adam.  However  we  may  choose  to 
account  for  it,  we  may  be  certain  that  it  was  a  part 
of  the  original  plan  of  God,  in  training  up  human 
creatures  for  a  superior  state,  that  this  should  be 
the  condition  of  humanity,  and  there  is  no  reason 
why  we  should  not  be  satisfied  with  the  scripture 
account  of  its  introduction. 

These  ancient  books  contain  many  other  ac- 
counts of  the  appearance  and  interposition  of  God, 
all  directed  to  promote  the  same  purpose,  the 
growth  of  virtue  and  knowledge  in  the  world. 
Hence  the  deluge,  which  swept  away  a  corrupt 
race,  when  Noah  was  preserved  to  keep  up  the 
knowledge  of  God,  and  to  commence  a  new  era 
among  men.  The  accounts  which  we  have  of  the 
frequent  appearances  of  the  Deity  in  those  early 
ages,  are  perfectly  suitable  to  the  infant  state  of 
mankind.  All  the  operations  of  nature,  and  all 
the  changes  and  events  of  life,  are  there  uni- 
formly ascribed  to  the  power  and  will  of  the  Cre- 
ator ;  and  even  whatever  consequences  follow  the 
will  of  men,  are  there  imputed  to  the  providence 
of  God. 

In  process  of  time,  we  find  that  one  peculiar 
people  wras  selected  from  the  multitude  of  nations, 
to  give  to'the  rest  of  the  world,  by  their  whole  his- 
tory and  fate,  a  visible  specimen  of  God's  provi- 
dence.    Abraham  is  called  from  the  midst  of  his 


134  SERMON  IX. 

idolatrous  kindred,  and  his  family  are  made  the 
depositaries  of  the  religious  knowledge  which  God 
chose  to  vouchsafe  to  mankind.  This  destination, 
sealed  by  the  adoption  of  a  peculiar  rite,  was  in- 
troduced with  reference  to  future  consequences 
of  vast  importance  to  mankind.  From  this  cir- 
cumstance we  may  date  all  the  religious  know- 
ledge which  we  now  enjoy,  and  to  it  we  owe  this 
book  of  God,  this  church  which  has  existed, 
through  so  many  hazardous  fortunes,  to  the  pres- 
ent hour. 

The  manner  in  which  God  exhibited  his  provi- 
dence towards  the  family  and  posterity  of  Abraham, 
is  a  subject  of  most  curious  contemplation.  The 
purpose  for  which  they  were  prepared  was  the 
most  noble  which  can  be  imagined  ;  to  preserve  the 
knowledge  of  one  true  God,  in  the  midst  of  an 
idolatrous  world,  and  not  only  so,  but  to  be  the 
examples  of  the  moral  government  of  this  God,  in 
the  instance  of  national  remuneration  in  this  world, 
for  obedience  to  a  prescribed  and  positive  law, 
and  to  be  the  depositaries  of  those  predictions,  by 
which  the  world  was  to  be  prepared  for  the  Mes- 
siah and  that  evangelical  dispensation  under  which 
we  live. 

The  history  of  this  wonderful  people,  the  pos- 
terity of  Abraham,  is  full  of  proofs  of  some  great 
purpose  for  which  they  were  so  greatly  distin- 
guished. Their  original  deliverance  from  bon- 
dage in  Egypt,  their  peregrinations  in  the  wilder- 
ness,   their  detachment   from  other  nations,    and 


PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD.  13.5 

indeed  the  peculiar  notions  of  their  own  import- 
ance, which  their  singular  fate  generated  among 
them,  were  all  calculated  to  preserve  them  from 
the  contagion  of  idolatry,  and  the  corruptions  of 
the  surrounding  world.  They  had  perpetual 
proofs  of  the  providence  of  the  Supreme  Jeho- 
vah. Punishment  invariably  followed  their  apos- 
tasies; and  last  of  all,  by  their  captivity  in  Baby- 
lon, the  remains  of  idolatrous  propensities  were 
rooted  out  of  their  minds,  and  they  preserve  even 
to  the  present  day,  wherever  they  have  been  found, 
and  in  every  successive  age,  the  singular  belief  of 
the  great  principles  of  theism,  and  the  unity  of 
God. 

By  the  Jewish  dispensation,  mankind  were 
taught,  as  I  conceive,  in  the  way  of  national  re- 
tribution, the  moral  government  of  God  in  this 
world.  But  a  greater  scene  was  to  be  disclosed, 
and  the  character  of  God,  and  the  destination  of 
man,  as  it  extends  to  future  ages  and  another  life, 
was  to  be  the  subject  of  another  revelation. 

Predictions  had  been  successively  given  of 
some  great  deliverer  who  was  hereafter  to  appear, 
more  fully  charged  with  the  purposes  of  the  Most 
High.  It  was  foretold  that  he  was  to  put  an  end 
to  this  more  imperfect  dispensation,  burdened  as 
it  was  with  peculiar  ceremonies,  and  ritual  obser- 
vances ;  a  Deliverer,  who,  by  his  example,  pre- 
cepts, and  death,  was  to  give  stronger  evidence  of 
some  important  principles  of  conduct,  and  to  dis- 
cover others,  which  had  cither  been  not  revealed 


1 36  SERMON  IX. 

or  only  obscurely  intimated  under  preceding  dis- 
pensations. Under  him  mankind  were  to  be 
brought  to  a  more  perfect  subjection  to  the  mor- 
al government  of  God,  and  to  be  formed  into  one 
great  society,  holy  and  happy,  and  to  go  on  im- 
proving till  they  reach  the  city  of  the  living  God, 
the  new  Jerusalem. 

The  distinctions  which  had  been  suffered  to  ex- 
ist for  the  preservation  of  the  Jews  in  their  alle- 
giance, were  now  to  be  abolished,  Jew  and  Gen- 
tile brought  into  the  same  community,  and  God  to 
be  represented  as  the  common  father  of  all  men, 
exercising  his  government  over  them  with  refer- 
ence to  a  future  life,  when  all  would  be  made  sub- 
ject to  an  individual  retribution  and  remunera- 
tion. 

While  our  Saviour  was  on  earth,  you  know  the 
powers  which  were  imparted  to  him  for  the  con- 
firmation of  his  doctrine,  and  the  authority  that 
was  committed  to  him  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  all 
for  the  purpose  of  establishing  this  last  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Most  High,  and  for  propagating  and 
completing  his  religion.  Miracles  were  necessary 
to  gain  attention  to  the  gospel  and  to  give  it  au- 
thority on  its  introduction  ;  but  you  will  acknow- 
ledge that  a  perpetuity  of  miracles  would  not  only 
weaken  that  very  attention,  but  destroy  all  that 
authority.  When  therefore  God  has  sufficiently 
promulgated  a  revelation,  he  leaves  it  to  or- 
dinary and  human  means  of  preservation.  It  is 
left  to  the  conduct  of  that  nation  or  society  in 


PROVIDENCE  OF  COD.  1 ; J7 

which  it  is  planted,  to  be  handed  down  by  their 
care  to  posterity.  It  is  a  system  of  divine  doc- 
trines and  established  rules  of  life,  and  must  be 
subject  to  the  common  methods  of  instruction  and 
taught  like  other  sciences. 

The  consequences  of  this  dispensation  we  find 
in  the  effects  which  it  has  already  produced,  and 
we  believe  will  continue  to  produce,  in  the  world. 
We  know  that  much  of  the  cruelty  and  supersti- 
tion of  paganism  disappeared  ;  that  new  lights  of 
truth  and  virtue  burst  in  upon  the  minds  of  men  ; 
and  that  multitudes  were  transformed  into  new, 
holy,  wise,  and  pious  creatures.  Instead  of  the 
idolatry  of  the  Gentiles  and  the  ceremonial  ob- 
servances of  the  Jews,  there  arose  on  their  ruins, 
a  rational  and  manly  piety,  produced  by  the  new 
views  of  God's  parental  character  and  gracious 
designs.  We  know  that  from  this  era  there  ap- 
peared among  men  a  spirit  of  universal  and  ten- 
der charity,  which  was  before  unknown  and  un- 
imagined. 

The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  gave  a  new  char- 
acter to  the' minds  of  thousands.  It  elevated,  it 
purified,  and  spiritualized  those  who  were  before 
sensual  and  worldly.  It  gave  them  ideas  of  hap- 
piness superior  to  all  other  felicity.  It  taught 
them  to  despise  the  honors  and  the  terrors  of  the 
world,  and  to  aspire  after  the  divine  favor  as  an 
end,  and  the  divine  likeness  as  their  glory. 

These  are  justly  called  the  fruits  of  the  spirit; 
for  it  is  the  gospel,  and   the   gospel   only,  when 
18 


138  SERMON  IX. 

properly  understood  and  heartily  received,  which 
has  ever  produced  them.  We  find  in  the  first  pe- 
riods of  the  church,  that  it  was  remarkably  produc- 
tive of  these  effects,  and  the  change  is  very  strik- 
ing when  we  consider  that  the  gospel  was  preached 
to  men,  who  had  been  born  in  the  darkness  of 
heathenism,  and  under  the  bondage  of  Jewish 
ceremonies. 

And  are  there  no  effects  of  this  kind  yet  pro- 
duced ?  Has  not  the  gospel  now  the  same  salutary 
efficacy?  Is  not  its  best  influence  to  be  traced 
in  society  ?  Is  the  purpose  of  God  defeated  ? 
No,  it  cannot  be,  as  long  as  the  religion  of  Christ 
retains,  as  it  ever  must,  the  same  credibility.  The 
revolutions  of  the  church,  the  successive  periods 
of  revival  and  declension,  the  temporary  triumphs 
of  infidelity,  are  all  provided  for  in  the  plan  of 
the  Most  High.  The  gospel  is  yet  a  powerful  in- 
strument in  God's  moral  government.  The  Chris- 
tian believes  that  all  the  revolutions  which  the 
christian  world  has  known,  were  foreseen,  and 
provided  for  in  this  last  dispensation,  and  relying 
upon  the  accomplishment  of  past  predictions,  the 
Christian  is  warranted  to  entertain  the  confident 
expectation  of  the  glorious  and  universal  triumph 
of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 

This  view  of  the  divine  dispensations  suggests, 
among  others,  the  following  remarks. 

There  is  a  general  uniformity  of  character  in 
all  these  specimens  of  God's  moral  care  of  man- 
kind. Goodness  and  wisdom  characterize  them  all. 


PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD.  ]  gg 

As  they  are,  also,  instances  alike  of  pure  good- 
ness and  of  unmerited  care.  There  is  no  injustice 
or  partiality  in  their  limited  introduction,  though 
the  whole  race  of  men  that  has  existed  on  the 
earth,  may  not  at  any  time  have  been  admitted  to 
share  in  the  same  degrees  of  supernatural  assist- 
ance. In  every  case  men  will  be  accepted  ac- 
cording to  what  they  have,  and  not  according  to 
what  they  have  not.  God  is  not  obliged  by  any 
principle  to  give  to  all  men  the  means  of  the  same 
degree  of  perfection,  either  in  this  world  or  the 
next ;  and  those  whose  capacity  for  revelation  falls 
below  that  of  those  who  have  the  advantages  of 
a  birth  and  education  in  Christendom,  will  find  a 
reward  suited  to  the  enlargement  of  their  minds, 
or  a  punishment  proportioned  to  the  degree  of  the 
advantages  which  they  have  abused.  To  whom- 
soever much  is  given,  of  him  only  will  much  be 
required. 

We  may  observe  one  common  intention  running 
through  each  of  these  dispensations,  and  that  is,  to 
promote  the  virtue  and  happiness  of  our  race  ; 
and  though  we  are  not  placed  in  precisely  the 
same  circumstances  with  our  first  parents,  to  whom 
the  original  revelation  was  made,  yet  our  situation 
agrees  with  theirs  in  this ;  we  are  upon  probation 
as  they  were,  in  order  to  form  tempers  of  holiness, 
and  in  order  to  become  worthy  of  eternal  life. 

It  cannot  fail  to  be  remarked,  that,  as  every  pre- 
ceding dispensation  seems  to  have  prepared  the 
way  for  that  which  succeeded  it,  so  they  were  all 


140  SERMON  IX. 

severally  adapted  to  the  capacities,  the  progress, 
and  the  existing  moral  and  religious  state  of  man- 
kind. 

Every  preceding  dispensation  seems  also  to 
have  contained  some  intimations  of  that  under 
which  we  live  ;  and  from  some  expressions  in  the 
scriptures  we  have  strong  reasons  to  conclude 
that  this  is  ultimate,  and  that  all  that  God  intends 
to  do  for  mankind  in  the  way  of  supernatural  in- 
terposition, he  has  done  by  Jesus  Christ. 

These  dispensations,  or  the  history  of  God's 
moral  government,  furnish  subjects  of  sublime  and 
grateful  contemplation  to  angels  and  to  men. 
They  represent  God  in  the  fairest  and  most  inter- 
esting of  lights,  when  we  consider  that  all  these 
have  been  known  to  him  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world,  and  that  his  parental  care  discovers  itself 
in  every  communication,  which  God  has  made 
since  man  was  created. 

There  are  many  circumstances  in  this  history 
which  once  appeared  unintelligible,  but  which 
now  we  more  clearly  understand.  Such,  in  par- 
ticular, was  the  rejection  and  consequent  fortune 
of  the  Jewish  nation,  once  the  people  of  God, 
which  made  the  apostle  exclaim,  '  Oh  !  the  depth 
of  the  riches,  both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge 
of  God !  How  unsearchable  are  his  judgments, 
and  his  ways  past  finding  out ! '  Now  we  perceive 
how  indispensable  it  was  to  make  the  divine  ori- 
gin of  the  gospel  more  apparent,  and  what  strength 
it  continues  to  add  to  its  proofs. 


PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD.  141 

If  there  are  difficulties  which  yet  serve  to  exer- 
cise our  humanity  and  our  study,  we  must  not  be 
surprised.  The  great  apostasies  in  Christendom, 
the  growth  of  infidelity,  and  the  present  state  of 
the  world,  are  all  preparatory  to  some  more  glori- 
ous era  in  the  church.  The  morning  of  the  Re- 
formation was  preceded  by  greater  darkness,  mor- 
al and  intellectual,  than  we  have  since  known, 
and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  we  have  not  reached 
the  meridian  of  this  day,  and  that  we  shall  not  be 
obliged  to  pass  through  another  night  of  religious 
darkness  before  the  purposes  of  God  shall  be  fin- 
ished. But  however  this  may  be,  we  have  noth- 
ing to  do  but  to  preserve  minds  sincerely  desirous 
of  inquiring  after  the  truth,  meekly  submissive  to 
what  God  has  revealed,  and  patiently  to  persevere 
in  well-doing  through  all  the  changes  of  the  pre- 
sent dispensation.  To  us  Christians  this  is  the 
language  of  God's  grace  ;  '  Walk  thou  thy  way  to 
the  end,  for  after  all  thy  trials  and  disquietudes,  if 
thou  preservest  thy  integrity  and  thy  faith,  thou 
shalt  rest,  and  stand  in  thy  lot  at  the  end  of  the 
days.' 


SERMON   X 


SOURCES  OF  INFIDELITY. 
Hebrews,  III.   12. 

TAKE    HEED,  BRETHREN,  LEST    THERE    BE    IN    YOU    AN    EVIL,    HEART 
OF    UNBELIEF. 

Between  the  two  propositions  that  the  gospel 
is  true,  and  that  it  is  false  ;  between  the  belief 
that  it  is  the  revelation  of  God,  and  the  opinion 
that  it  is  the  work  of  men,  the  chasm  is  so  vast 
that  it  is  impossible  there  should  not  be  some  great 
difference  in  the  minds  or  in  the  hearts  of  those 
men,  who,  with  similar  advantages  and  means,  can 
form  different  conclusions  upon  the  subject.  The 
question  with  respect  to  religion  amounts  in  fact 
to  this  ;  Is  there,  or  is  there  not,  any  satisfactory 
assurance  that  this  life  is  not  the  termination  of 
man's  existence  ?  Are  all  the  hopes,  the  fears, 
and  the  anticipations  of  mankind,  that  there  is  an 
eternity  to  come,  merely  uncertain  and  delusive 
suggestions  ? 

The  inquiry  whether  the  gospel  be  true,  involves 
in  it  the  question,  whether  God,  who  has  given  us 


SOURCES  OF  INFIDELITY.  \  43 

our  mental  powers,  our  moral  sense,  and  our  an- 
ticipations of  another  life,  has  ever  interposed  for 
the  salvation  of  this  part  of  his  creation,  or  wheth- 
er man  has  always  been  left,  upon  a  subject  of 
such  importance,  to  the  weakness  of  his  own  unas- 
sisted reason,  and  the  corruption  of  his  actual 
condition.  It  involves  the  question,  whether  the 
Jewish  history,  at  present  the  most  authentic  in 
the  world,  is  a  mere  fable,  and  especially  whether 
that  wonderful  event  of  the  death  and  resurrection 
of  Jesus  Christ,  which  so  many  great  and  good 
men  have  sacrificed  their  lives  to  authenticate,  is 
a  gross  delusion  and  imposition.  In  short,  by  the 
admission  or  rejection  of  Christianity,  the  aspect 
of  the  world  is  changed.  If  this  source  of  hopes, 
fears,  comforts,  restraints,  reasonings,  and  medita- 
tions, is  blotted  out  of  the  human  mind,  its  whole 
character  must  be  transformed. 

Undoubtedly  in  a  fair  and  uncorrupted  mind 
the  bias  would  be  altogether  in  favor  of  religion ; 
for  it  makes  of  man  a  creature  so  much  superior 
to  what  he  would  be  without  it,  it  raises  him  so 
much  nearer  heaven,  and  opens  to  him  such  sub- 
lime and  exhilarating  views  with  respect  to  God, 
to  himself,  and  to  society,  that  we  should  think  the 
world  would  press  to  receive  it,  and  that  without 
it  man  would  consider  himself  but  half  enlight- 
ened. Alas!  it  is  not  so.  Thousands  are  busy 
in  chasing  from  their  minds  every  suggestion  in 
its  favor,  and  stopping  their  ears,  lest  the  news  of 
the  gospel  of  peace  should  gain  access  to  their 
hearts. 


144  SERMON  X. 

The  object  of  this  discourse  will  be'  to  explain 
the  sources  of  unbelief.  I  fear  we  shall  find  that, 
in  the  language  of  the  apostle,  '  If  our  gospel  is 
hid,  it  is  hid  to  them  who  are  lost.' 

I.  In  the  first  place,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say, 
that  the  least  dishonorable  source  of  infidelity  is 
ignorance.  Many  think  that  to  differ  from  the 
vulgar  is  to  be  superior  to  them,  and  that  it  is  a 
proof  of  having  thought  deeply,  to  be  able  to  start 
objections  to  the  most  common  truths.  But  of  all 
the  proofs  of  human  weakness,  I  know  none  great- 
er, than  that  indolence  of  mind,  which  shows  itself 
in  the  disposition  which  is  satisfied  with  proposing 
difficulties,  instead  of  searching  for  truths.  The 
truth  of  the  gospel  is  a  fact,  of  which  at  first  it 
required  only  the  exercise  of  the  senses  to  satisfy 
one's  self.  Of  course  there  was  no  need  of  learning, 
to  be  a  well  informed  Christian.  But  now,  at  this 
distance  of  time,  it  has  become  a  work  of  superior 
knowledge  and  fairness,  to  understand  and  illus- 
trate its  true  foundation,  and  a  very  superficial 
employment  to  suggest  objections,  because  time 
has  already  furnished  them  to  our  hands.  It 
is  no  longer  a  test  of  superior  sagacity  to  doubt 
the  truth  of  a  religion  which  the  most  gifted  minds 
have  believed,  relying  upon  great  and  various  and 
impregnable  proofs,  though  few  of  those  who  re- 
ceive it,  have  ever  examined  the  whole  grounds 
of  their  faith,  or  felt  the  most  serious  objections. 

It  may  be  remarked,  without  danger  of  contra- 
diction, that  of  those  who  reject  the  gospel,  the 


SOURCES  OF  INFIDELITY.  M5 

majority  arc  extremely  ignorant  of  scripture,  and 
in  this  branch  of  necessary  knowledge  are  very 
much  inferior  to  many  Christians,  whom  they  ven- 
ture to  despise.  Their  reading  has  been  in  a  dif- 
ferent direction.  Hence,  all  they  know  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testament,  is,  perhaps,  that  there  are 
passages  in  them  which  arc  strange  or  unintelligi- 
ble, and  thus  they  venture  to  decide  upon  this 
most  grand  and  solemn  question,  often  without 
having  read,  much  more  having  studied  the  book, 
which  reveals  the  destination  of  the  human  race. 

I  may  venture  yet  further  to  assert,  that  few  of 
those  who  reject  Christianity,  possess  much  of  the 
knowledge  which  is  necessary  to  a  thorough  un- 
derstanding of  the  scriptures.  They  do  not  con- 
sider how  unreasonable  it  is  to  expect  that  books 
written,  as  many  of  those  of  the  bible  were,  more 
than  two  thousand  years  ago,  and  in  a  dead  lan- 
guage, should  be  as  intelligible  as  the  books  which 
appear  every  day,  in  their  vernacular  tongue. 
They  do  not  consider,  that  it  would  have  required 
a  perpetual  miracle  to  preserve  the  meaning  in 
every  place  from  obscurity,  the  text  from  corrup- 
tion, or  the  pen  of  every  translator  from  mistakes. 
In  consequence  of  this  ignorance  and  narrowness 
of  mind,  they  are  disgusted  with  everything  which 
they  cannot  at  once  reconcile  with  modern  opin- 
ions, language,  and  manners  ;  they  are  overthrown 
with  every  difficulty,  and  find  only  arguments  for 
infidelity  in  everything  which  they  do  not  under- 
stand. They  are  men  of  business,  perhaps,  and 
19 


146  SERMON  X. 

have  not  the  previous  information  necessary  to  un- 
derstand their  bibles  ;  they  are  men  of  wit,  and 
think  that  everything  which  is  not  sparkling  or  inge- 
nious, is  dull ;  they  are  men  in  office,  and  have  no 
time  to  think  deeply  of  these  subjects,  which,  they 
are  inclined  to  believe,  are  at  least  of  doubtful 
importance  ;  or  they  are  men  of  fashion,  and  do 
not  find  that  religion  is  ever  thought  of  in  polite 
circles.  Thus  they  live  with  the  reputation  of 
superior  wisdom,  because  they  are  really  ignorant 
of  what  they  venture  to  despise,  alive  only  to  ob- 
jections, and  only  insensible  to  proofs. 

II.  But  it  must,  in  the  second  place,  be  impar- 
tially granted,  that  another  source  of  infidelity 
is  found  in  the  misrepresentations  which  have 
been  made  of  the  christian  doctrine.  Subjects  of 
doubtful  disputation  have  been  exalted  into  arti- 
cles of  christian  faith,  and  men  have  been  requir- 
ed to  believe,  not  merely  that  God  has  given  us  a 
revelation,  but  also  just  such  a  revelation  as  men, 
in  language  unauthorised  by  scripture,  have  chosen 
to  frame.  One  man,  travelling  through  countries 
which  are  called  christian,  meets  at  every  step 
the  mummery  of  unmeaning  ceremonies,  the  su- 
perstition of  an  enslaved  people  and  hype  criti- 
cal priests,  and  he  forgets  that  all  this  may  not  be 
Christianity.  Another,  of  a  serious  and  candid 
mind,  is  perhaps  thrown  into  the  vortex  of  fanati- 
cism. He  finds  Christianity  is  made  to  consist  in 
agitations  of  the  passions,  and  is  explained  in  a 
rhapsodical  dialect,  which  to  him  is  utterly  unin- 


SOURCES  OF  INFIDELITY.  J 47 

telligiblc.  He  sees  the  effect  of  this  mechanical 
excitement,  for  which  he  cannot  account ;  he  sees 
the  influence  of  religious  sympathy  upon  the  minds 
of  thousands,  and  he  falls  into  this  snare,  that  rea- 
son can  have  little  to  do  with  a  system  which  en- 
courages such  follies,  and  that  it  was  originally  al- 
together the  delusion  of  weak  and  wicked  minds. 

How  few,  my  friends,  of  those  who  believe  in 
Christianity,  have  taken  their  religion  from  the 
New  Testament !  They  have  received  all  their 
ideas  on  this  most  interesting  subject  from  their 
nurses,  their  catechisms,  or  their  preachers  ;  and 
when  they  have  found,  that  some  of  the  doctrines, 
which  they  had  received  for  Christianity,  were  ir- 
reconcileably  opposed  to  the  subsequent  discove- 
ries of  their  minds,  instead  of  informing  themselves 
of  the  real  doctrines  of  scripture,  they  have  re- 
jected the  whole  as  unintelligible  or  absurd. 

It  must  be  allowed  also,  that  some  men  have  in- 
sensibly slid  into  infidelity  by  attempts  to  simplify 
the  system  of  Christianity.  They  have  concluded 
that  what  was  so  very  reasonable  and  intelligible, 
could  not  be  a  subject  of  special  revelation,  and 
thus  have  they  brought  themselves  to  a  refined  spe- 
cies of  Deism,  in  which  there  is  left  nothing  su- 
pernatural, nothing  peculiarly  proper  for  miracu- 
lous interposition.  But  they  have  soon  found, 
that  the  difficulties  in  mere  natural  religion,  with- 
out that  humility  which  is  the  real  foundation  of 
all  faith,  become  insuperable,  and  the  transition  is 
not  difficult  to  Atheism  and  universal  doubt.    The 


143  SERMON  X. 

progress  of  innumerable  minds  has  been  from  ir- 
rational views  of  Christianity,  to  total  unbelief. 
My  friends,  if  we  would  all  first  satisfy  ourselves  of 
the  historical  evidence  of  the  gospel  facts,  and 
then  each  for  himself  carefully  study  the  New 
Testament,  and  find  his  religion  there,  we  should 
not  see  so  many  dogmatical,  nor  so  many  incredu- 
lous minds ;  we  should  not  see  the  Calvinist  pas- 
sing into  the  Deist,  the  Atheist,  the  universal 
skeptic,  and  through  mere  want  of  repose,  falling 
back  into  the  bosom  of  an  infallible  church.  No, 
it  is  from  our  having  taken  our  religious  opinions 
from  authority,  and  not  from  the  scriptures,  that 
we  see  so  much  uncertainty  and  contradiction 
among  Protestants. 

III.  It  must  thirdly  be  admitted,  that  another 
source  of  unbelief  is  pride.  We  now  draw  near- 
er to  the  meaning  of  our  text,  and  we  shall  find 
reasons  enough  to  justify  the  censure  of  the  apos- 
tle when  he  calls  it  an  evil  heart  of  unbelief.  A 
superficial  observer  may  be  inclined  to  accuse  us 
of  uncharitableness  when  we  say,  in  the  language 
of  the  prophet,  '  the  pride  of  thine  heart  hath  de- 
ceived thee  ; '  and  we  shall  be  asked,  How  can  a 
man  avoid  believing  upon  proper  evidence  ?  I  an- 
swer, that  there  is  nothing  so  easy  as  to  avoid  con- 
viction. In  every  question  which  is  not  intuitive 
or  demonstrable,  in  every  question  of  fact  or  of 
opinion,  where  nothing  more  than  moral  certainty 
can  be  obtained,  perhaps  there  is  not  a  subject  in 
the  world,   in  which  men's  previous  dispositions 


SOURCES  OF  INFIDELITY.  ]  ).Q 

do  not  promote  or  retard  their  belief.  We  see  in- 
stances of  this  in  the  plainest  matters  of  fact  of 
every  day's  occurrence,  facts  which,  with  precise- 
ly the  same  grounds  of  belief,  are  rejected  or  ad- 
mitted, according  to  the  party,  the  prejudices,  the 
hopes,  or  the  fears  of  the  individual. 

Do  you  ask  how  pride  may  have  so  great  a 
share  in  the  conclusions  which  men  form  on  the 
subject  of  religion  ?  I  answer  in  the  first  place,  the 
gospel  appears  upon  the  face  of  it  to  contain  a 
religion,  not  for  this  man  or  that,  who  may  wish 
to  know  more  than  his  neighbour,  but  for  the  poor 
as  well  as  the  rich,  the  low  as  well  as  the  high, 
the  illiterate  as  well  as  the  learned.  It  is  a  bles- 
sing which  is  accessible  to  any  man,  without  the 
aid  of  any  of  those  exterior  distinctions,  which 
constitute  the  pride  of  so  many  weak,  and  of  so 
many  superior  understandings.  The  man  who 
embraces  the  gospel  is  sensible  that  in  this  act 
there  is  nothing  which  distinguishes  him  from  the 
vulgar,  and  he  is  unwilling  to  believe,  even  on 
satisfactory  evidence,  what  his  poor  neighbour  be- 
lieves without  any  evidence  at  all.  The  very  first 
principle  of  Christianity  is  humility.  It  implies 
that  something  has  been  done  for  man,  which  he 
could  not  do  for  himself,  and  he  who  is  not  wil- 
ling to  acknowledge  his  dependence  upon  God, 
and  who  is  not  prepared  to  believe  that  God  may 
have  revealed  something  to  the  humblest  under- 
standing, which  his  own  unaided  reason  could  not 
have  discovered,  and  cannot  now  completely  com- 


150  SERMON  X. 

prehend  in  all  its  connexions  with  other  truths,  is 
at  an  immense  distance  from  the  reception  of 
Christianity.  Nothing  is  more  hostile  to  pride, 
either  of  intellect  or  station,  than  the  gospel.  Ev- 
ery line  of  it  teaches  dependence  upon  God,  ig- 
norance of  his  purposes,  and  reliance  upon  his 
mercy  alone.  It  raises  the  lowly  and  depresses 
the  ambitious.  It  scorns  the  pageantry  of  the 
world,  and  assures  us  that,  in  the  eye  of  one  Being 
at  least,  there  is  no  respect  of  persons.  Few, 
very  few  are  the  minds  which  can  come  to  the 
examination  of  such  a  religion  with  unbiassed  af- 
fections. 

IV.  A  fourth  and  more  important  source  of  un- 
belief remains  to  be  examined  ;  and  that  is,  the 
previous  disinclination  which  a  man  of  corrupt  and 
vicious  character  must  necessarily  find  in  himself, 
to  a  system  so  pure,  and  intellectual  as  that  of  the 
gospel. 

Here  I  shall  be  arrested  at  once,  by  the  re- 
proach that  it  is  invidious  and  uncharitable  to 
charge  to  the  corruptions  of  a  man's  heart,  rather 
than  to  any  other  cause,  that  he  does  not  think  as 
we  do  upon  any  speculative  subject,  however  im- 
portant it  may  be  in  our  opinion  ;  and  you  will  tell 
me  that  such  an  argument  is  unfair,  because,  from 
the  very  nature  of  it,  it  must  be  unanswerable. 
You  will  tell  me,  that  no  one  has  a  right  to  make 
use  of  it  but  God,  who  searches  the  heart,  and  who 
therefore  alone  knows  the  powers,  opportunities, 
and   unavoidable  prejudices  of  every  man's  mind. 


SOURCES  OF  INFIDELITY.  ]  5 1 

But  this  is  not  a  just  statement  of  the  question. 
We  do  not  say  that  he  who  rejects  a  system  of 
belief  which  we  consider  true,  as  well  as  pure  and 
holy  in  the  highest  degree,  proves  by  this  simple 
act,  that  it  is  a  corruption  of  heart  that  leads  him 
to  this  rejection.  No ;  for  however  strong  the  pre- 
sumption, that  his  understanding  is  in  this  case 
biassed  by  his  passions,  it  belongs  neither  to  you 
nor  to  me,  nor  to  any  other  observer,  to  pro- 
nounce upon  the  fact,  but  to  Him  only  who  seeth 
not  as  man  seeth.  We  do  not  say  this.  We  say 
only  that  a  man  who  is  corrupt,  or  selfish,  or 
Avorldly,  will  be  antecedently  disinclined  to  believe 
a  system  which  condemns  his  favorite  propensi- 
ties. We  do  not  say  that  his  unbelief  is  infallibly 
to  be  charged  to  his  corruption  ;  we  say  only  that 
his  corruption  must  have  a  tendency  to  prevent 
his  belief.  Do  you  not  see  that  the  former  is 
judging  a  man's  heart  and  character  from  what 
he  professes  to  believe,  and  the  latter  is  merely 
showing  what  a  man's  character  and  propensities 
are  likely  to  incline  him  to  believe? 

The  influence  also  of  a  man's  depraved  habits 
or  affections  is  unavoidably  greater  on  this  ques- 
tion of  religion  than  on  any  other,  because  it  is,  of 
all  the  questions  which  can  exercise  the  human 
mind,  the  least  of  a  merely  speculative  question. 
You  would  be  as  likely  to  believe  that  there  was 
such  a  man  as  Alexander,  or  to  admit  one  of 
the  axioms  of  mathematics,  with  a  corrupt  as  a 
pure  heart,  with  a  dishonest  as  with  a  fair  under- 


152  SERMON  X. 

standing.  But  it  is  not  merely  a  speculative  in- 
quiry whether  God  has,  or  has  not,  revealed  his 
will  to  mankind.  It  is  not  merely  a  matter  of  cu- 
riosity, whether  you  are  or  are  not  accountable  to 
any  other  tribunal  than  that  of  society,  and  wheth- 
er a  future  and  eternal  existence  depends,  or  not, 
upon  your  habits  and  character  in  this  life.  These 
are  questions  which  involve  the  whole  of  man's 
duty  and  expectations.  You  must  be  an  entirely 
different  creature,  if  these  have,  from  what  you 
may  be  if  they  have  not,  been  the  subjects  of  an 
authenticated  revelation  from  God  himself. 

But  you  will  tell  me  that  a  man's  duties  remain 
the  same,  whether  there  has  been  a  special  revela- 
tion of  them  or  not ;  the  dictates  of  conscience 
are  equally  powerful,  and  the  law  of  nature  re- 
mains in  all  its  force.  Conscience !  my  friends, 
what  is  the  authority  of  conscience  without  the 
belief  of  the  existence  of  God  ?  And  what  is  the 
value  of  a  belief  in  the  existence  of  God,  if  that 
God  has  discovered  no  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
the  world,  and  there  should  be  no  future  state 
where  his  righteous  and  fearful  retributions  shall 
be  dispensed  ?  It  is  of  little  consequence  that  a 
God  exists,  if  you  have  no  more  to  do  with  him 
than  the  bare  appearance  of  the  present  state  of 
things  discovers  to  you,  and  if  you  have  nothing 
to  fear  or  to  hope  from  him,  but  for  the  kw  years 
you  have  to  live  on  earth,  and  even  during  this 
period,  if  you  believe  no  more  of  him,  than  that 
such  a  being  exists  somewhere  in  the  universe. 


SOURCES  OF  INFIDELITY.  153 

Can  you  shelter  yourselves  under  this  miserable 
subterfuge  ?  Look  at  the  standard  which  the  faith- 
less man  of  the  world  sets  up  for  himself,  and 
answer  me,  does  it  lay  those  restraints  ?  Does  it 
condemn  those  indulgences  in  which  irreligious 
men  allow  themselves,  without  the  loss  of  much 
tranquillity,  or  of  much  credit  in  this  world  ?  Will 
a  man  who  lives  only  for  the  present  world  approach 
to  the  purity  of  one  who  lives  by  faith,  and  not  by 
sight  ?  In  the  same  proportion,  then,  as  the  purity 
of  the  rule,  and  the  greatness  of  the  sanctions  of 
revelation  exceed  the  laws  of  society  and  the  fears 
of  present  inconvenience,  must  the  indisposition 
of  a  depraved  man  to  the  gospel  be  stronger  than 
to  any  other  truths  which  the  mind  can  receive. 

Again  ;  the  man  who  knows  the  least  of  Chris- 
tianity, knows  that  its  spirit,  if  not  its  verbal  pre- 
cepts, is  always  at  war  with  many  of  the  maxims 
by  which  the  world  is  governed,  and  is  plainly 
contradictory  to  the  sensual  propensities  of  the 
human  heart.  You  cannot  open  the  New  Tes- 
tament but  you  meet  with  some  maxim  like 
these.  '  Cleanse  yourself  from  all  filthiness  of 
the  flesh  and  spirit,  and  perfect  holiness  in  the 
fear  of  God.'  '  He  that  will  be  my  disciple,  let 
him  deny  himself,'  says  our  Saviour,  '  and  take  up 
his  cross,  and  follow  me.'  '  This  is  a  hard  saying, 
who  can  hear  it.'  This,  however,  is  the  character 
of  the  gospel  morality ;  and  the  sensual  man  dis- 
cerns in  this  first  glance  of  the  features  of  Chris- 
20 


154  SERMON  X. 

tianity,  the  expression  of  an  enemy's  countenance, 
and  he  turns  away  in  fear  or  aversion. 

Here  is  a  man  who  is  devoted  to  the  perpetual 
accumulation  of  wealth,  so  that  his  ruling  passion 
is  the  acquisition  of  property.  Surely  that  religion 
can  excite  nothing  but  aversion  in  him,  which 
elevates  the  poor  to  a  level  with  himself;  which 
denounces  the  avaricious  and  worldly  spirit  that 
places  all  its  pride  and  confidence  in  wealth,  and 
which  even  goes  so  far  as  to  inform  him,  that  cir- 
cumstances may  arise,  when,  under  pain  of  God's 
displeasure,  he  must  willingly  give  up  all  this 
mighty  mass  of  treasure  for  the  sake  of  truth  and 
virtue.  Such  a  man  would  gladly  be  excused 
from  believing  so  hard  a  system,  and  willing  to 
remain  at  least  undecided,  if  he  cannot  with  an 
easy  conscience  utterly  reject  it. 

There  is  a  man  of  an  irascible  temper,  who 
cannot  endure  opposition  or  forget  an  injury. 
Surely  he  will  not  receive,  without  infinite  diffi- 
culty, a  religion  which  is  utterly  at  wTar  with  his 
passions,  and  with  passions,  too,  which  his  com- 
merce with  the  world  informs  him  are  not  very 
dishonorable,  and  which  most  of  the  men  in  similar 
situations  with  himself  are  disposed  above  all 
others  to  excuse.  How  willingly  will  such  a  man 
consent  to  remain  in  doubt  of  the  authority  of  the 
meek  and  forgiving  religion  of  Jesus  ! 

Take  the  innumerable  slaves  of  sensuality,  who 
live  for  the  gratification  of  appetite,  or  the  more 
gross  pleasures  of  voluptuousness.     Can  they  con- 


SOURCES  OF  INFIDELITY.  ]55 

sent  to  believe  that  a  religion  has  the  express 
sanction  of  God  in  its  favor,  which  declares  that 
neither  whoremongers  nor  adulterers  shall  have 
part  with  the  children  of  God;  which  commands 
us  to  crucify  the  flesh,  and  abstain  from  those  lusts 
which  war  against  the  soul  ?  Oh  !  no.  Who  loves 
to  have  his  dream  of  security  interrupted  ?  Who 
will  give  his  hand  to  a  guide  to  lead  him  to  a  spot 
where  an  abyss  of  perdition  opens  under  his  feet  ? 
a  spot  where  he  thought  the  ground  was  firm  and 
solid  under  him  ?  Who  will  bare  his  bosom  to 
that  piercing  light,  which  lays  open  the  miseries 
of  his  heart  ?  It  may  perhaps  be  false,  such  a 
man  will  say ;  why  should  I  disturb  myself  with 
additional  proofs  of  its  truth  ? 

Let  those  who  wrould  quench  this  heavenly  light, 
let  those  who  would  reject  the  gospel,  consider 
for  a  moment  where  they  would  leave  the  world, 
and  to  what  they  would  reduce  it.  Suppose  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  rejected,  and  the  restraints  of 
Christianity  universally  thrown  off,  the  belief  of 
its  most  alarming,  and  its  most  comforting  truths 
alike  discarded.  Suppose  the  faith  of  the  world, 
ofter  wandering  up  and  down  among  the  specula- 
tions of  unassisted  reason,  left  to  find  for  itself  a 
place  to  rest.  Suppose  the  authority  of  the  sacred 
books  overthrown,  the  history  of  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth rejected  as  an  idle  tale,  the  institutions  of 
his  religion  without  support  and  without  respect, 
and  all  the  fears  and  hopes  of  a  future  life  banish- 
ed like  the  dreams  of  heathen  mythology.     Then 


156  SERMON  X. 

let  us  revisit  this  earth,  emancipated  from  Chris- 
tianity, and  in  rebellion  against  God,  and  what 
should  we  find  ?  The  minds  of  the  few  virtuous 
torn  with  doubts,  and  the  understandings  of  the 
common  people  enveloped  in  gross  darkness ;  the 
beds  of  the  dying  planted  with  anxiety ;  the  be- 
reaved sunk  in  stupid  amazement,  or  unconsoled 
anguish  ;  the  penitent  without  relief,  the  impeni- 
tent without  fear ;  the  dying  and  the  dead  alike 
without  knowledge  or  hope ;  the  poor  without 
friends ;  the  rich  without  restraint ;  the  cries  of 
suffering  humanity  ascending  without  the  hope  of 
being  heard,  and  the  world  left  without  a  Saviour 
to  grope  its  way  to  eternal  life. 

Let  him  who  loves  not  to  look  at  this  picture, 
reflect  before  he  rejects  the  gospel.  If  it  is  true,  it 
is  as  interesting  to  this  man,  as  to  that ;  if  it  is 
true,  our  salvation  is  as  much  involved  in  its  re- 
ception as  that  of  the  humblest  creature  to  whom 
it  has  been  preached.  Blot  it  out,  and  the  dark- 
ness which  "would  ensue,  would  envelope  in  the 
same  gloom  the  vale  of  humble  life,  and  the  sum- 
mits of  human  greatness.  Blot  it  out,  and  the 
world  would  be  condemned  to  revolve  through  the 
same  ages  of  confusion  and  corruption,  which  pre- 
ceded the  appearance  of  the  Saviour. 

Christians,  allow  me  to  address  to  you  a  few 
words  of  exhortation,  in  relation  to  this  subject,  in 
which  you  are  so  deeply  interested. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  know  on  what  foundation 
you  stand.     You  may  have  a  faith   perhaps  sufli- 


SOURCES  OF  INFIDELITY.  157 

cient  for  your  own  satisfaction  ;  but  as  you  are  not 
to  live  for  yourselves  alone  in  this  world,  so  ought 
you  not  to  believe  for  yourselves  alone.  The  situa- 
tion of  the  world  is  such,  that  the  cause  of  truth 
may  suffer  as  much  from  your  inability  to  defend 
it,  as  even  from  your  open  violation  of  its  dictates. 
The  time  has  now  come  when  the  gospel  is  not  to 
be  maintained  by  the  bare  authority  of  any  man, 
how  transcendent  soever  may  be  his  understand- 
ing. The  objections  of  the  unbeliever  are  ready 
furnished  to  his  hands  ;  the  replies  to  these  objec- 
tions are  not  to  be  learnt  from  every  man's  mouth. 
The  gospel  is  not  to  be  supported  by  saying  that 
it  was  the  faith  of  our  ancestors,  or  that  we  have 
so  found  it  in  our  catechism.  If  you  are  not  rea- 
dy to  give  the  true  reasons  for  the  hope  that  is  in 
you,  you  stand  upon  an  insecure  foundation.  The 
true  foundation  of  the  gospel,  is  in  its  truth  as  an 
historic  fact.  From  this  view  of  the  question  unbe- 
lievers have  always  shrunk ;  and  it  is  this  which 
you  should  be  best  prepared  to  establish.  If 
those  who  were  the  most  interested  to  ascertain 
the  miraculous  facts  of  the  gospel,  can  be  shown  to 
have  believed  them,  we  have  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve them  ;  and  if  these  facts  stand  upon  stronger 
grounds  of  probability  than  any  other  facts  in  his- 
tory, everything  else  of  importance  in  Christianity 
follows. 

2.  The  more  frequent  and  open  arc  the  en- 
croachments of  infidelity,  the  more  are  you  in  dan- 
ger of  wishing  to  conceal  a  faith,  which  your  in- 


158  SERMON  X. 

quiries  have  forced  upon  you,  but  of  which  you  can- 
not be  ashamed  without  the  most  alarming  danger. 
You  may  be  excellent  men  and  good  citizens,  ex- 
emplary in  your  manners,  and  irreproachable  in 
your  conversation,  and  thus  you  will  no  doubt  be 
respected ;  but  not,  my  friends,  in  that  character 
which  you  ought  most  of  all  to  value,  the  character 
of  a  Christian.  The  world,  not  knowing  upon  what 
principles  you  act,  will  not  ascribe  your  superior- 
ity to  its  true  cause  ;  nay,  they  will  account  for  it 
in  any  way  rather  than  refer  it  to  a  principle  of 
religious  faith.  Hence  the  propriety  and  duty  of 
an  open  profession  of  your  christian  faith.  If  you 
neglect  this,  Christianity  will  gain  nothing  by  your 
example,  and  society  will  hardly  be  made  wiser  or 
better  by  your  means.  But  where  the  faith  of 
Jesus  is  professed  as  the  source  of  all  that  is  good 
in  your  character,  you  give  to  the  Saviour  that 
homage  which  his  gospel  deserves,  '  and  your 
light  will  shine  before  men,  that  they  may  glorify 
your  Father  who  is  in  heaven.' 

3.  Remember  that  your  superior  knowledge 
and  purer  faith  demand  of  you  a  purer  practice, 
and  a  loftier  sense  of  duty.  The  question  *  What 
do  ye  more  than  others  ?'  is  the  most  unanswera- 
ble in  the  whole  circle  of  unbelief.  It  will  be  to 
no  purpose  that  you  can  defend  the  gospel  in  your 
reasonings,  if  you  betray  it  in  your  lives.  Men 
will  look  to  you,  and  with  perfect  justice,  for  a 
holy  and  a  devotional  temper.  They  will  expect 
to  see  you  more  indifferent  to  this  world,  and  more 


SOURCES  OF  INFIDELITY.  159 

interested  in  another,  than  themselves.  They  will 
look  for  a  disinterested  spirit  of  benevolence,  and 
a  superiority  which  everywhere  discovers  that  you 
are  influenced  by  principles  of  more  than  earthly 
origin  and  energy. 

Lastly,  be  not  satisfied  with  having  been  once 
convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christianity,  but  keep  up 
your  interest  in  it  by  constant  and  devout  reading 
of  the  scriptures,  and  of  such  books  as  tend  to  in- 
terest you  in  their  important  truths.  Let  nothing 
divert  you  from  the  duty  of  prayer,  for  the  sense 
of  God's  providence  can  in  no  other  way  be  pre- 
served in  all  its  strength.  Consider  everything 
in  life  as  subordinate  to  your  religion.  Surely  if 
there  is  another  life,  everything  must  be  subordi- 
nate, in  the  view  of  every  sound  mind.  Let  the 
children  of  this  world  give  their  whole  attention 
to  its  perishing  pleasures  ;  for  so  they  ought,  ac- 
cording to  their  principles.  But  you,  Christians, 
children  of  light!  heirs  of  immortality!  look  beyond 
this  transitory  scene  of  things,  to  that  inheritance 
which  is  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  which  fad- 
eth  not  away,  the  object  not  of  sense,  but  of 
faith,  reserved  for  you  in  heaven. 


SERMON  XI. 


CONSISTENCY  IN  RELIGION. 
Matthew,  VI.  24. 

NO    MAN    CAN    SERVE    TWO    MASTERS. 

This  is  one  of  those  aphorisms  full  of  meaning, 
in  which  the  discourses  of  our  Saviour  abound, 
and  with  which  he  introduces  his  caution  to  his 
disciples  against  anxiety  about  their  present  ac- 
commodation. He  represents  the  service  of  the 
world  and  the  service  of  God,  as  two  opposite 
states,  incompatible  with  each  other,  and  as  no  man 
can  at  the  same  time  obey  the  commands  of  two 
masters,  each  of  whom  has  a  claim  on  his  time 
and  labor,  so  neither  can  we  serve  God  and  the 
world,  for  it  is  impossible  to  maintain  such  a  di- 
vided state  of  our  affections.  The  claims  of  the 
two  masters  will  be  perpetually  interfering  and  we 
must  prefer  the  interests  of  one  to  those  of  the 
other. 

The  disciples  must  have  felt  the  force  of  this  il- 
lustration.    The  service  of  the  gospel  to  which 


CONSISTENCY  IN  RELIGION.  \Q\ 

they  were,  called  was  absolutely  incompatible,  not 
merely  with  that  excessive  solicitude  about  the 
conveniences  of  life,  which  is  always  a  sin,  but 
even  with  the  common  care  of  their  families  and 
estates.  It  was  in  fact  saying  to  them,  If  you  en- 
list yourselves  in  the  service  of  the  Messiah,  you 
must  give  up  all  ideas  of  accumulating  wealth,  and, 
forsaking  all  care  and  anxiety,  devote  yourselves 
to  this  new  employment.  But  this  is  not  merely  a 
lesson  to  the  apostles.  The  word  Mammon  is  the 
name  of  a  Syrian  idol,  supposed  to  preside  over 
riches,  and  to  this  specific  meaning  of  the  word 
our  Saviour  undoubtedly  refers  in  our  text,  where 
the  false  deity  Mammon,  is  opposed  to  the  true  God. 

What  then  is  the  force  of  the  aphorism  in  mod- 
ern language  ?  Is  it  not  this,  that  no  man  must 
hope  to  divide  his  services  between  God  and  any 
other  object  of  affection  ?  that  the  service  of  the 
Supreme  Being  demands  supreme  affection,  or  in 
other  words,  religion,  if  it  exists  at  all,  must  exist 
as  a  prevalent  governing  principle  ?  The  effect  of 
this  will  be  a  consistent  and  uniform  character,  in 
which  we  may  plainly  perceive  the  influence  of 
religious  motives,  and  a  principle  of  obedience  to 
God. 

The  subject  of  our  discourse  from  these  words, 
1  no  man  can  serve  two  masters,'  is,  the  consisten- 
cy of  the  religious  character. 

This  subject,    which    is  very  plain  in  itself,  is 
rendered  difficult  only  by  the  perverse  disposition 
of  men  to  make  this  consistency  of  character  sig- 
21 


Ig2  SERMON  XI. 

nify  the  same  thing  with  perfection.  Hence  they 
attempt  to  elude  the  reproach  of  inconsistency, 
by  saying,  '  We  know  that  we  are  not  perfect ;  per- 
fection is  not  the  lot  of  humanity.'  This  is  very 
true,  but  it  is  nothing  to  the  charge.  We  com- 
plain of  an  habitual  inconsistency  of  character  in 
men  who  profess  to  be  men  of  religion ;  that  they 
allow  themselves  in  certain  courses  of  life,  and  in 
uniform  omissions  of  duty,  which  we  maintain  to 
be  utterly  incompatible  with  a  prevailing  sentiment 
of  religious  obedience.  We  perceive,  in  fact,  that 
so  far  are  they  from  earnestly  striving  after  chris- 
tian perfection,  their  hearts  are  yet  divided,  and 
they  spend  their  lives  in  poor  attempts  at  recon- 
ciling their  convictions  with  their  practice,  their 
real  pursuits  with  their  acknowledged  obligations, 
their  sins  with  their  better  resolutions. 

In  other  affairs  we  find  no  difficulty  in  under- 
standing the  difference  between  consistency  and 
perfection  of  character.  When  a  man,  slavishly 
devoted  to  the  acquisition  of  riches,  is  guilty  of 
an  action  of  gross  imprudence  or  extravagance, 
we  are  astonished  at  his  inconsistency,  because 
he  acts  against  his  governing  principles  ;  but  we 
consider  it  as  no  mitigation  of  the  selfishness  of  his 
character.  The  very  notion  of  christian  perfec- 
tion, as  a  point  to  which  we  must  be  continually 
tending,  but  which  we  are  not  to  expect  to  reach, 
completely  excludes  us  from  offering  it  as  an  ex- 
cuse for  any  of  our  miscarriages,  because,  if  an 
excuse  for  any,  it  must  be,  from  the  very  nature  of 


CONSISTENCY  IN  RELIC  ION.  ]  (J3 

the  thing,  an  excuse  for  all.  The  subject,  then, 
which  we  have  in  view  at  present,  is  not  the  invol- 
untary, or  occasional  defects  of  men  who  would  be 
called  religious,  but  their  deliberate  and  habitual 
inconsistencies  of  conduct,  which  prove  the  abso- 
lute want  of  the  religious  principle,  according  to 
the  maxim  of  our  Saviour,  that  '  no  man  can  serve 
two  masters.' 

We  suppose  ourselves  to  be  now  addressing 
those  who  retain  in  their  hours  of  reflection,  a 
belief  more  or  less  powerful,  of  the  obligations  of 
virtue  and  the  truths  of  Christianity.  They  have 
not  cast  off  all  fear  of  God,  and  gone  over  delib- 
erately to  the  party  of  unbelievers,  but  they  are 
not  decided  whom  they  will  serve.  They  would 
be  shocked  at  the  imputation  of  irreligion ;  yet 
they  do  not  believe,  or  do  not  feel  the  inconsisten- 
cy between  their  principles  and  their  practice,  and 
they  have  very  inadequate  conceptions,  I  do  not 
say  of  the  perfection,  but  of  the  uniformity  and 
congruity  of  the  christian  character. 

I.  In  the  first  place,  it  may  be  thought  superflu- 
ous that  we  should  rank  in  this  class  those  incon- 
sistent men,  who  would  substitute  a  sound  faith 
for  a  holy  and  virtuous  life  ;  for  this  is  not  the  prev- 
alent mistake  of  the  age.  It  is  supposed  that  the 
days  have  gone  by,  in  which  everything  was 
thought  lawful  for  the  orthodox  believer,  and  that 
God  would  see  no  sin  in  the  faithful.  It  is  true, 
that  this  is  not  the  place,  nor  is  it  perhaps  the  pe- 
riod, in  which  this  error  prevails.    Christians  have 


1 64  SERMON  XI. 

in  general  come  to  a  better  understanding  of  the 
language  of  scripture  on  the  subject  of  faith,  and 
it  is  universally  acknowledged  in  words,  if  not  in 
practice,  that  without  personal  holiness  no  man 
can  see  the  Lord. 

There  is  still,  however,  a  remnant  of  this  error  to 
be  seen  among  those  who  secretly  maintain  that 
no  life  of  piety  and  virtue  is  of  any  avail  to  salva- 
tion, unless  it  is  accompanied  with  certain  pecu- 
liar views  of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  and  that 
an  apparently  habitual  conformity  to  the  laws  of 
God,  is  only  a  show  of  doubtful  and  rotten  fruit, 
unless  the  tree  has  grown  in  a  particular  direction, 
and  the  roots  have  been  fed  from  consecrated  foun- 
tains. This  kind  of  Christianity  prevails  much  in 
some  places  ;  but  it  is  not  confined  to  any  particular 
sects.  We  find  persons  among  ourselves,  particu- 
larly at  the  close  of  life,  who  are  more  anxious  to 
die  sound  believers,  than  real  penitents.  And 
there  is  hardly  any  place  where  a  stress  is  not  laid 
on  some  peculiarities  of  faith,  which  would  be 
much  better  placed  on  some  points  of  practice. 
But  as  this  is  not  the  danger  into  which  you,  my 
hearers,  are  most  likely  to  fall,  I  will  observe, 

II.  Secondly,  on  the  opposite  error  of  substi- 
tuting morality  for  religion,  and  supplanting  faith 
by  an  unenlightened  exaltation  of  virtue.  It  is 
surprising,  that  any  w*ho  profess  to  believe  in  the 
truth  and  importance  of  the  christian  revelation, 
should  undervalue  the  influence  of  faith  in  the 
doctrines  of  the  gospel,  in  the  formation  of  char- 


CONSISTENCY  IN  RELIGION.  1G5 

acter.  Yet  it  is  too  plain  that  we  are  disposed 
to  substitute  amiable  tempers  in  the  place  of  virtue, 
and  the  regularity  induced  by  habits  of  business, 
for  religion.  "We  need  no  stronger  proof  of  this 
than  the  neglect  which  prevails,  of  impressing  on 
the  minds  of  children  the  great  truths  of  religion, 
the  fear  of  God  and  of  a  judgment  to  come,  com- 
pared to  the  care  which  we  manifest  to  establish 
them  in  life,  and  put  them  in  a  course  of  occupa- 
tion, which  shall  save  them  from  the  temporal  ruin 
attendant  on  profligacy.  Yet  how  are  we  to  se- 
cure the  characters  of  our  children,  if,  trusting  to 
their  amiable  dispositions,  we  take  no  care  to  give 
them  principles,  and  leaving  them  exposed  to  all 
the  temptations  of  a  corrupt  world,  we  think  it  of 
no  consequence  how  or  when  they  get  their  reli- 
gion, and  imagine  that  if  they  stand  well  with 
society,  they  may  do  well  enough  without  Chris- 
tianity ?  This  is  an  inconsistency,  which  in  a 
christian  parent  is  irreconcilable  with  his  own 
persuasions,  and  with  a  religious  character.  It 
proves  that  his  own  faith  is  dead,  that  it  is  not  the 
root  and  support  of  his  integrity,  that  he  feels 
not  the  worth  of  his  religion,  and  of  course  that 
he  lives  not  by  it.  Men  have  declaimed  loudly 
against  the  evils  of  superstition,  and  the  dangers 
of  implicit  faith.  Let  us  be  on  our  guard  against 
the  vain  expectation  that  a  character  thoroughly 
virtuous,  and  faithful  towards  God  and  man,  is  to 
be  supported  by  any  consideration  of  present  con- 
venience, honor,  and  profit,  without  the  aid  of  the 
motives  of  religion. 


1 QQ  SERMON  XI. 

III.  We  discover  other  proofs  of  inconsistency 
in  the  reliance  which  is  sometimes  placed  on  the 
positive  institutions  of  Christianity,  as  a  species  of 
compensation  for  not  leading  a  life  uniformly  virtu- 
ous, or  for  indulging  a  temper  not  sanctified  by 
the  prevailing  influence  of  religion.  There  is 
scarcely  any  Christian  who  will  openly  acknow- 
ledge that  he  indulges  the  hope  of  making  a  com- 
pensation for  a  negligent  and  dissipated  course  of 
life,  by  observing  with  punctuality  the  returns  of 
the  ordinance  of  the  supper.  Yet,  if  we  mistake 
not,  there  are  some,  who  feel  little  of  the  universal 
obligation  to  a  holy  life,  who  yet  place  much  con- 
fidence in  their  distinction  as  communicants,  and 
by  their  strict  attention  to  these  days,  in  prefer- 
ence to  the  other  returns  of  public  worship,  inti- 
mate, that  they  look  upon  this  ordinance,  not 
merely  as  a  duty  and  a  privilege,  but  as  something 
also  of  a  security. 

IV.  But  it  may  be  thought  that  the  opposite 
character,  which  we  are  now,  in  the  fourth  place, 
to  describe,  is  much  more  common  in  our  times. 
There  is  no  doubt  a  prevailing  disposition  to  rep- 
resent the  positive  institutions  of  our  religion,  as 
a  class  of  duties  much  below  the  obligations  of 
morality. 

And,  let  it  be  remembered,  that  by  morality  is 
commonly  meant  merely  the  social  obligations 
which  exist  between  men  in  society ;  mercy,  be- 
neficence, courteousness,  and  honorable  conduct. 
If  the  duties  of  piety  arc  taken  into  the   account, 


CONSISTENCY  IN  RELIGION.  ]  G7 

they  are  passed  over  with  the  remark,  that  they 
are  affairs  between  God  and  a  man's  conscience, 
and  that  a  good  life  is  the  best  worship.  This  is 
very  true ;  yet  men  are  often  much  mistaken  in 
the  essential  properties  of  a  good  character.  It 
is,  I  fear,  too  often  taken  for  granted  that  a  serious 
attention  to  the  duties  and  forms  of  religion,  throws 
a  suspicion  on  the  other  parts  of  a  good  character, 
and  that  there  must  be  a  little  hypocrisy  where 
there  is  much  appearance  of  religion.  It  may  be 
left  to  the  serious  and  candid  judgment  of  every 
thinking  man,  whether  a  faithful  observance  of 
the  forms  of  religion  and  the  ordinances  of  Chris- 
tianity, is  not  more  usually  connected  with  a  virtu- 
ous and  upright  conduct  in  the  affairs  of  common 
life,  than  with  the  opposite  character.  How  un- 
fair is  it  then,  to  put  in  a  claim  to  respect,  and 
confidence,  and  honor  from  the  world,  because 
you  profess  to  undervalue  the  ordinances  of  reli- 
gion, and  to  say  in  fact  to  the  religious  man,  Stand 
by,  thou  mayst  be  holier,  but  I  am  better  than  thou  ! 
But  is  not  this  strange  inversion  of  spiritual  pride 
sometimes  to  be  discerned  in  men,  who  set  at 
nought  the  forms  of  religion  ?  If,  my  hearers,  we 
cannot  serve  two  masters,  but  must  either  love  the 
one  and  hate  the  other,  or  hold  to  the  one  and 
despise  the  other,  whom  must  those  be  said  to 
serve  who  devote  days  and  weeks  and  years  to  the 
business  and  pleasures  of  the  world ;  who,  in  the 
pursuit  of  gain  and  the  varieties  of  endless  dissi- 
pation, are  never  weary,  never  reluctant,  never 


](38  SERMON  XI. 

prepared  with  an  excuse,  whilst  they  grudge  every 
hour  which  they  devote  to  the  exercises  of  reli- 
gion ;  and  this  too  with  the  plea,  that  God  looks 
not  at  the  outward  appearance,  but  at  the  heart, 
that  he  will  have  morals,  not  ceremonies,  mercy, 
and  not  sacrifice  ?  Gracious  God  !  to  whom  do 
they  sacrifice  ?  Nay,  where  do  they  sacrifice  ? 
They  think,  indeed,  with  truth,  that  worship  is  not 
more  acceptable  to  God  on  one  day  than  on 
another.  But  would  he,  who  is  disposed  to  worship 
God  at  all,  think  that  he  could  possibly  serve  the 
cause  of  real  religion  in  opposition  to  superstition, 
by  his  neglect  of  the  most  favorable  opportunity 
for  it,  which  this  day  always  affords  ?  It  is  true 
there  is  a  perpetual  tendency  in  men  to  rest  in  the 
means  of  religion  rather  than  to  keep  in  view  the 
end  ;  but  neither  virtue,  piety,  happiness,  security, 
nor  anything  valuable  to  man,  can  be  promoted 
by  attempting  to  secure  the  end,  without  the 
means.  'My  son,  give  me  thy  heart,'  is  the  tender 
invitation  of  our  Father  in  Heaven.  But  has  he 
given  his  heart,  who  excuses  himself  from  the  ra- 
tional services  of  religion  by  pretences  which  he 
would  not  dare  to  offer  in  the  common  business  of 
life,  and  for  reasons  which  never  detain  him  from 
his  pleasures,  and  would  have  no  force  with  him 
in  any  case  where  his  ruling  passion  was  engag- 
ed ? 

In  the  last  place,  we  observe  the  inconsistency 
which  we  have  been  condemning,  in  that  partial 
obedience  we  are  contented  to  pay  to  the  com- 


CONSISTENCY  IN  RELIGION.  169 

mands  of  God,  and  in  the  various  compensations 
and  comparisons  we  make  between  one  duty  or 
disposition  and  another,  both  in  our  estimate  of 
our  own  characters,  and  the  characters  of  others. 
Thus,  the  avaricious  and  hard-hearted  comfort 
themselves  with  the  consciousness  of  their  honesty, 
and  with  the  plea  that  they  are  never  guilty  of  ex- 
travagance, improvidence,  luxury,  or  dissipation. 
The  man  of  pleasure  boasts  of  his  charities,  his 
frankness,  his  freedom  from  sordid  and  narrow- 
minded  vices  ;  and  not  only  so,  he  looks  with  con- 
tempt on  his  frugal  and  regular  neighbour.  The 
man  who  has  amassed  a  great  estate  by  fraudulent 
means,  will  attempt  to  make  an  atonement  for  his 
former  life  by  some  occasional  acts  of  pious  muni- 
ficence. In  some  circles  beneficence  has  the  pre- 
ference ;  in  others,  commercial  integrity ;  in 
others,  fidelity  in  friendship  ;  in  others,  religious 
zeal.  We  select  from  the  universal  obligations  of 
morality,  those  in  which  we  think  ourselves  least 
deficient,  and  look  with  complacency  through  the 
glass  which  is  colored  with  our  favorite  hue. 

This  character  of  inconsistency,  is  totally  dis- 
tinct from  that  of  the  weak  and  imperfect  Chris- 
tian, whose  strong  passions  occasionally  surprise 
him  into  acts  of  which  he  repents,  or  who  is  sen- 
sible of  the  imperfection  of  his  best  services,  not- 
withstanding his  daily  endeavours  after  improve- 
ment. 

My  friends,  it  becomes  us  most  seriously  to  re- 
member that  the  habitual  and  deliberate  neglect 
22 


170  SERMON  XI. 

of  a  single  commandment,  implies  a  disposition  of 
revolt,  of  rebellion,  and  of  resistance,  totally  in- 
consistent with  a  religious  character.  It  implies 
that  all  our  pretences  of  reverence  for  our  Maker 
are  hollow  and  dissembling  ;  it  implies  that  we 
practise  upon  ourselves  delusions  the  most  gross, 
when  we  imagine  that  the  observance  of  one  law, 
will  atone  for  the  violation  of  another  ;  that  a  man 
may  be  charitable  without  being  just,  or  just  with- 
out being  charitable  ;  honorable  without  being 
pious,  or  pious  without  being  honorable  ;  sober 
without  being  chaste,  punctilious  without  being 
exact,  or  generous  without  prudence  and  choice  ; 
zealous  without  being  candid,  or  candid  because 
indifferent  and  careless  ;  ceremoniously  exact 
without  being  pure  within,  or  so  pure  within  as  to 
despise  any  aid  from  without. 

When  a  sincere  principle  of  universal  obedience 
is  wanting,  the  defect  will  infallibly  be  seen  in  some 
portion  of  the  character,  or  some  period  of  the 
life.  In  the  goodly  superstructure  of  such  a  man's 
morals  there  will  be  found  some  flaw,  which  be- 
trays the  insecurity  of  the  foundation.  There  is 
nothing  which  renders  a  man's  real  virtue  more 
suspicious,  than  to  find  him  professing  to  be  im- 
maculate in  those  portions  of  his  character  where 
he  has  no  temptation  to  transgress.  You  have  no 
right  to  thank  God  that  you  are  not  as  other  men, 
because,  while  your  neighbour  is  intemperate,  you 
have  no  temptation  to  become  drunkards ;  while 
your  superiors  are  proud,  you  are  only  envious  of 


CONSISTENCY  IN  RELIGION.  171 

their  high  station  ;  while  your  friend's  family  is 
extravagant,  yours  is  only  churlish  ;  while  your  vi- 
cinity is  full  of  dissipation,  your  own  household  is 
employed  in  calumniating  their  characters  and 
conduct.  Hence,  however  extravagant  the  asser- 
tion may  appear,  we  may  admit,  in  its  most  literal 
meaning,  the  declaration  of  the  apostle,  '  that  he 
who  offends  in  one  point,  is  guilty  of  all.'  The 
presumption  is,  that  all  your  show  of  virtue  is  only 
a  disguised,  but  perpetual  violation  of  the  only  true 
principle  of  christian  virtue,  obedience  to  the  will 
of  God. 

When  you  appear  therefore  to  reform  and  only 
change  your  forms  of  disobedience,  all  that  can  be 
admitted  in  your  favor,  is,  that  you  have  not  been, 
through  the  whole  course  of  your  life,  the  regular 
slave  of  any  inveterate  habit.  In  your  abundance, 
you  have  not  been  guilty  of  the  low  frauds  of  indi- 
gence, and  in  your  poverty  you  have  not  discover- 
ed the  haughtiness  of  security.  In  adversity  you 
have  not  abandoned  yourself  to  presumptuousness  ; 
in  prosperity  you  have  not  murmured  and  repined. 
In  youth  you  have  not  exhibited  the  faults  of  age, 
and  in  age  you  have  not  retained  the  follies  of 
youth.  Wonderful  proficiency  in  the  spirit  of  a 
Christian  ! 

My  friends,  it  is  impossible  for  any  man  who  has 
a  proper  sense  of  the  consistency  and  uniformity 
of  the  religious  character,  to  allow  himself  in  such 
comparisons.  He  hopes  that  God,  who  knows  his 
temptations  and  trials,  will  make  a  gracious  allow- 


172  SERMON  XL 

ance  for  his  peculiar  defects  ;  but  as  for  himself,  he 
makes  no  allowance.  He  struggles  most  against 
the  sins  to  which  he  is  most  exposed  ;  sensible, 
'  that  whosoever  offendeth  in  one  point  is  guilty  of 
all,'  and  that  he  is  not  a  real  Christian,  who  allows 
himself  deliberately  in  any  course  of  omission  or 
commission,  which  he  has  reason  to  think  God's 
will  requires. 

Of  the  same  kind  are  those  inconsistencies 
which  we  see  in  men,  who  substitute  a  temporary 
for  a  regular  obedience.  Some  men  have  seasons 
of  tenderness  and  compunction.  They  make  re- 
solutions, the  effect  of  which  lasts  through  a  period 
either  of  affliction,  anxiety,  or  bereavement,  but 
they  relapse  into  their  former  courses,  and  attempt 
to  derive  merit  from  their  temporary  reformation. 
There  are  others,  who  are  afraid  of  great  sins,  and 
behave  well  in  any  very  important  crisis  of  life, 
whose  habitual  temper  is  unamiable  and  unchris- 
tian. Most  men  can  do  right  when  the  eyes  of  the 
world  are  invited  to  observe  them.  They  then  de- 
cide nobly,  righteously,  and  generously  ;  but  would 
you  know  whether  they  have  the  spirit  and  power 
of  religion,  follow  them  to  their  families,  to  the 
minute  and  trivial  concerns  of  life,  and  then  you 
may  learn  best  their  true  worth  and  their  real 
defects. 

But  this  subject  is  extremely  copious  and  I  must 
forbear  any  further  remarks. 

My  hearers,  I  have  thus  endeavoured,  from  the 
solemn  words  of  our  Saviour,  '  no  man  can  serve 


CONSISTENCY  IN  RELIGION.  1 73 

two  masters,'  to  give  you  some  idea  of  the  consis- 
tency and  uniformity  of  the  christian  character, 
and  to  correct  that  common  evasion,  with  which 
we  so  often  delude  ourselves,  that  perfection  is 
not  the  lot  of  humanity.  Perfection  and  consis- 
tency are  two  dilferent  attainments.  The  former 
is  the  point  to  which  we  must  be  continually  aim- 
ing, the  other  is  that  which  we  must  have  reached, 
before  we  can  lay  claim  to  the  character  of  real 
Christians.  The  distinction  is  sufficiently  obvious. 
The  perfect  Christian  is  one  who  never  sins ;  the 
consistent  Christian  is  one  who  allows  himself  in 
no  sin,  but  being  governed  supremely  by  the  prin- 
ciples of  his  religion,  grows  in  grace  and  know- 
ledge, and  by  a  diligent  use  of  the  means  of  re- 
ligion, advances  steadily  in  the  divine  life. 

My  hearers,  we  have  a  great  work  before  us,  and 
a  day  of  trial  and  retribution  awaits  us.  He  who 
is  seriously  engaged  in  this  great  work,  cannot 
hope  to  be  received  and  accepted  by  his  Cod,  un- 
less he  has  given  him  his  heart.  '  No  man  can 
serve  two  masters;  choose  you  then  this  day  whom 
you  will  serve.'  For  behold  the  time  is  coming 
when  he  who  deserves  all  we  can  give  him  of  af- 
fection and  obedience,  will  appear  as  our  judge. 
Then  many  will  come,  saying,  Lord,  have  we  not 
passed  through  life  with  reputable  characters  ? 
AVc  have  not  outraged  thine  authority,  nor  failed 
to  respect  the  forms  of  thy  religion.  Then  will 
he  say  unto  them,  Ye  have   had  no  faith   in  my 


174  SERMON  XL 

name,  no  fear  of  God  before  your  eyes,  but  ye 
have  lo  ed  the  praise  of  men  more  than  the  praise 
of  God ;  verily  I  say  unto  you,  ye  have  had  your 
reward. 

Then  will  others  come,  saying,  Lord,  thou  de- 
sirest  not  sacrifice,  else  would  we  give  it ;  we  have 
not  paid  the  tithe  of  mint,  anise,  and  cummin  ;  but 
we  have  observed  the  weightier  matters  of  the 
law,  judgment,  mercy  and  fidelity.  Then  will  the 
Judge  answer  and  say  unto  them,  These  ought  ye 
to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave  the  others  undone. 
Ye  have  said,  'What  is  the  Almighty  that  we 
should  serve  him,  and  what  profit  should  we  have, 
if  we  pray  unto  him  ? '  I  know  you  that  ye  have  not 
the  love  of  God  in  you. 

Then  others  will  come  saying,  Lord,  behold 
our  charities.  When  I  saw  the  hungry,  I  fed  them  ; 
the  sick,  and  in  prison,  I  visited  them  ;  I  have  ab- 
stained from  all  appearance  of  evil.  Behold  my 
frequent  resolutions,  my  public  sacrifices,  my  zeal 
for  thy  cause  ;  my  care  of  my  family ;  my  humility, 
poverty,  or  my  reputation  and  my  friends.  Then 
will  the  King  answer  and  say  to  one,  I  know  thy 
works,  thou  hast  a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  art 
dead.  To  another,  Pure  religion  before  God  the 
Father,  is  not  only  to  visit  the  fatherless  and  wi- 
dows, but  to  keep  thyself  unspotted  from  the 
world.  To  another,  What  shall  I  do  unto  thee,  for 
thy  goodness  is  as  the  morning  cloud  and  the  even- 
ing dew,  which  soon  passeth  away.     To  another, 


CONSISTENCY  IN  RELTGION.  ]  75 

To  whom  much  has  been  given,  of  him  much  will 
be  required. 

Wherefore,  beloved,  seeing  that  ye  look  for 
such  things,  what  manner  of  persons  ought  ye  to  be 
in  all  holy  conversation  and  godliness  ? 


SERMON  XII 


THE^IX ADEQUACY  OF  THE  PREVAILING  CONCEPTIONS  AS  TO 
THE  EXTENT  OF  THE  DIVINE  LAW,  COMPARED  WITH  THE 
MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 


Psalms,  CXIX.  9C. 

[thy  commandment  is  exceeding  broad. 

I  have  seen,  says  the  Psalmist,  an  end  of  all 
perfection  ;  the  glory  of  human  greatness  vanish- 
es ;  the  objects  of  human  pursuit  disappoint  us ; 
the  wonders  of  nature  and  art  decay  ;  and  what  we 
call  moral  perfection,  as  it  is  exhibited  in  human 
character,  is  either  frail,  defective,  or  delusive  ; 
but  thy  commandment,  O  God,  is  exceeding  broad. 

The  opposition  between  the  two  parallel  por- 
tions of  the  verse  may  not  at  first  be  understood. 
The  meaning  undoubtedly  is,  of  that  which  is  per- 
fect in  human  estimation  we  soon  find  a  limit,  but 
the  wisdom  and  perfection  of  thy  law,  who  can 
represent  ?  This  comprehensive  law  of  goodness, 
which  appeared  to  the  Psalmist  so  exceeding 
broad,  is  more  clearly  defined  and  illustrated  in  the 
New  Testament ;  and  if  there  were  nothing  else 
to  prove  the  divine  origin  of  Christ's  religion,  the 


MORALTTY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  1  77 

very  nature  of  his  moral  precepts  would  perhaps 
be  sufficient.  Of  the  evangelical  morality  it  may 
be  truly  said,  that  it  cannot  be  improved.  The 
world  had  before  known  nothing  like  it,  as  a  whole, 
and  it  would  be  perhaps  impossible  to  collect  all 
its  precepts,  even  if  we  were  permitted  to  search, 
and  select  here  and  there  a  maxim  or  a  sentiment 
from  all  the  works  of  the  ancients.  It  is  distin- 
guished for  the  grandeur  and  efficacy  of  its  sanc- 
tions, which  lay  hold  on  eternity  to  come  ;  for  the 
restraints  which  it  la^s  on  the  heart,  the  source  of 
action,  and  for  its  elevating,  purifying,  and  spirit- 
ualizing influence.  In  short,  the  instructions  of 
Christ  partake  of  the  divinity  of  their  author  ;  the 
spirit,  which  descended  like  a  dove,  and  rested 
upon  him,  breathes  in  every  line  which  he  has 
left  us. 

When  we  consider  the  vast  extent  of  the  chris- 
tian morality,  and  compare  it  with  the  inadequate 
conceptions  of  duty  entertained  by  many  Chris- 
tians, it  may  be  well  thought  surprising  that  we 
should  have  discovered  so  much  more  solicitude 
to  erect  standards  of  faith,  than  standards  of  prac- 
tice. We  have  guarded  the  articles  of  our  belief 
against  invasion  or  evasion,  by  every  possible  bar- 
rier, and  have  considered  the  church  in  danger 
when  the  perfection  of  these  formularies  has  been 
doubted  or  denied.  But  no  church  has  thought  it 
equally  necessary  to  take  care  of  its  system  of  du- 
ties. Diversity  of  sentiment  on  the  subject  of 
practice,  has  been  thought  a  less  dangerous  heresy, 
23 


178  SERMON  XII. 

and  a  church  cannot  be  shown  in  ecclesiastical 
history,  which  has  established  a  creed  in  morals. 

Whence  this  strange  inconsistency  in  our  zeal  ? 
Is  it  because  the  intentions  of  scripture  are  more 
plain  on  this  subject  than  on  articles  of  faith  ?  Or 
is  it  because  our  love  of  power  is  more  flattered 
by  subjecting  other  men  to  the  standard  of  our 
speculations,  than  by  guarding  them  from  mistak- 
ing their  duty  ? 

Whatever  answer  may  be  given  to  these  ques- 
tions, I  think  no  man,  who  makes  the  scriptures 
his  study,  need  be  more  surprised  or  concerned  at 
the  variety  of  doctrines  which  men  have  attempted 
to  draw  from  them,  than  at  the  imperfect  notions 
which  still  exist  on  the  subject  of  duty.  The 
cause  of  this  diversity  is  to  be  sought,  not  in  the 
obscurity  of  our  Saviour's  precepts,  for  in  general 
their  spirit  cannot  be  mistaken,  but  in  our  igno- 
rance of  ourselves,  in  our  slavish  subjection  to 
custom  and  fashion,  in  our  thoughtless  lives,  and 
above  all,  in  the  great  reluctance  which  every  man 
feels  to  suffer  the  standard  of  duty  to  be  raised 
much  higher  than  the  point  to  which  he  has  him- 
self attained. 

I  shall  devote  this  discourse  to  an  inquiry  into 
the  inadequate  conceptions  which  prevail  as  to  the 
extent  of  the  divine  law.  The  subject  naturally 
divides  itself  into  the  four  grand  points  of  justice, 
benevolence,  purity,  and  piety.  We  shall  consider 
the  prevailng  defects  of  our  moral  sentiments  on 
each  of  these  branches  of  the  christian  law. 


.MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  179 

I.  Upon  the  subject  then  of  justice,  upon  which, 
if  on  any  branch  of  morals,  we  may  suppose  men  to 
entertain  accurate  ideas,  because  it  is  intimately 
connected  with  all  their  business,  and  with  all  their 
labors,  it  will  be  found  that  few  of  us  have  either 
very  exact,  comprehensive,  or  evangelical  con- 
ceptions. 

It  is  a  general  sentiment  in  society,  that  if  a 
man  of  business  observes  a  common  honesty  in  his 
negotiations ;  if  he  is  true  to  his  word,  faithful  in 
his  engagements,  and  punctual  in  his  appoint- 
ments, it  is  not  only  as  much  as  we,  but  as  God 
has  a  right  to  expect.  Instances  of  deliberate, 
high-handed  fraud,  excite,  it  is  true,  a  temporary 
indignation  ;  but  the  awakened  sensibility  too  soon 
subsides  ;  the  knowledge  of  successful  dishonesty 
seems  rather  to  prepare  us  better  for  the  next  exam- 
ple ;  and  often  is  the  most  deliberate  injustice  cov- 
ered over  at  last  by  forms  and  the  show  of  prece- 
dent, and  men  consent  to  enjoy  all  their  lives  the 
fruits  of  the  very  wickedness  they  have  execrated. 

But  after  all,  my  friends,  is  the  bare  observance 
of  the  laws,  in  commercial  transactions,  the  extent 
of  the  christian  duty  of  justice  ?  There  is  a  sense 
of  equity  in  a  man  of  christian  principles,  which 
mere  law  cannot  prescribe,  and  to  which  custom 
does  not  always  reach.  There  is  a  sense  of  right, 
which  can  neither  be  inspired  nor  supported  by  a 
common  regard  to  reputation  ;  and  a  high  sense 
of  duty,  which  asks  only  the  eye  of  God  for  its 
witness  and  reward. 


]O0  SERMON  XII. 

What  do  we  think,  also,  of  the  great  duty  of 
restitution,  in  innumerable  cases  which  the  laws 
and  customs  of  society  hardly  contemplate  ?  If 
we  have  either  designedly  or  undesignedly  wrong- 
ed our  brother,  it  is  our  duty  to  make  him  com- 
pensation, even  in  cases  where  he  is  ignorant  of 
his  loss,  in  others  where  he  does  not  demand  it, 
in  many  where  he  cannot  require  it  by  any  positive 
compact,  and  in  many  more  where  there  is  no 
common  tribunal  to  which  wo  may  appeal,  to  de- 
cide the  proper  measure  of  retribution. 

There  are  some  cases  of  inquiry  known  only  to 
God  and  ourselves  ;  there  are  others,  where  the 
world  would  smile  at  us  if  we  felt  bound  to  redress 
them.  There  are  cases  in  which,  though  we  are 
entirely  guiltless  in  the  sight  of  God,  yet  we  may 
become  guilty  by  withholding  that  compensation, 
which  nothing  but  a  tender  conscience,  or  if  you 
choose  to  call  it  so,  a  delicate  sense  of  honor, 
knows  how  to  estimate. 

Again  ;  are  there  not  some  who  venture  to  pro- 
pagate, or,  at  least,  not  to  contradict  a  false  report, 
by  which,  for  the  sake  of  gain,  they  may  practise 
on  the  credulity  of  the  public  ?  Are  there  not 
those  who  will  encounter  risks,  undertake  adven- 
tures, and  hazard  speculations,  to  which  their 
means  are  entirely  inadequate  ?  and  this,  too,  with 
the  prospect  before  them,  not  merely  of  their  own 
ruin,  but  of  the  ruin  of  others,  to  whose  kindness 
they  have  been  indebted,  and  whose  interests  they 
have  no  right  to  endanger  ? 


MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  ]  31 

But  there  is  another  more  extensive  branch  of 
justice  upon  which  there  prevails  an  astonishing 
insensibility  in  the  minds  even  of  honest  men.  I 
mean  justice  to  the  reputation  of  others.  We  en- 
joy the  benefits  of  society  only  on  condition  of 
preserving  its  rights,  and  in  every  civilized  coun- 
try justice  is  due  to  every  man's  character,  wheth- 
er we  are  his  friend  or  his  enemy.  We  are  not 
only  to  render  tribute  to  whom  tribute,  but  honor 
to  whom  honor  is  due.  Every  man  has  a  right  to 
our  good  opinion,  till  he  has  forfeited  it.  Every 
man  has  a  right  to  have  his  character  as  invio- 
late as  his  property,  even  when  he  cannot  protect 
it  by  positive  laws.  W'hatever  be  the  principles 
which  he  is  supposed  to  entertain,  the  amount  of 
his  importance  in  society,  or  the  relation  in  which 
he  stands  to  ourselves,  he  has  a  demand  of  justice 
to  his  character  from  every  individual  in  the  com- 
munity. I  speak  not  now  of  charity,  but  of  justice. 
He  has  a  right  to  expect  that  no  doubtful  or  ma- 
licious insinuations  should  obtain  that  currency 
which  is  often  given  them  in  inconsiderate  con- 
versation. For,  not  only  are  we  injurious  by  the 
direct  propagation  of  unjust  reports,  but  we  have 
not  even  a  right  to  give  them  countenance  in  our 
more  private  and  confidential  intercourse.  Nay, 
more ;  the  sufferer,  whatever  be  his  rank  or  con- 
sequence, has  a  right  to  demand  of  us  that  we  do 
him  not  the  injustice  to  be  predisposed  to  believe 
them.  We  see  then  that  this  extensive  law  of 
justice,  has  a  bearing  on  the  estimates  which  we 


182  SERMON  XII. 

secretly  form  of  the  characters  of  others.  We  are 
really  unjust,  when  we  suffer  any  unfounded  pre- 
judice to  obscure  our  sense  of  another's  merits. 
We  are  unjust,  when  we  conceal  the  good  quali- 
ties of  an  enemy  or  a  rival ;  or  when  we  labor 
to  put  an  unfavorable  construction  on  his  appa- 
rent excellences.  In  this  view  of  the  extensive 
justice  which  we  owe  to  each  other,  how  are  our 
daily  offences  multiplied !  How  often  do  cruel 
calumnies  circulate  among  us,  wasting  the  reputa- 
tion of  men,  when  they  are  entirely  ignorant,  and 
entirely  undeserving  of  their  loss  !  How  often  do 
we  refuse  men  the  least  share  in  our  estimation, 
for  no  other  reason  than  because  they  do  not  be- 
long to  our  circle,  or  follow  in  our  train!  How 
careless  are  we  of  retrieving  the  mischiefs  we  have 
done  to  others  by  our  inconsideration,  and  how 
slow  are  we  to  remove  the  false  impressions  which 
we  have  undesignedly  given  ! 

Again  ;  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  gratitude 
is  also  a  part  of  justice,  and  that  we  should  be  as 
scrupulous  of  rendering  kindness  for  kindness,  as 
of  discharging  our  just  debts  or  of  securing  our 
lawful  dues.  On  the  other  hand,  do  I  exaggerate 
the  state  of  opinion  when  I  say,  that  our  notions 
of  the  extent  of  the  divine  law  are  so  defective, 
that  we  are  ready  to  think  that  fraud  will  author- 
ise fraud,  deception  merit  deception,  and  neg- 
lect give  room  for  neglect  and  calumny  ?  We 
have  only  to  turn  our  thoughts  upon  our  own  con- 
sciences  to  find  how  inadequate  is  our  sense  of 


MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  |  33 

justice,  and  how  narrow  the  common  definitions  of 
honesty.  Thy  commandment,  O  Cod,  is  exceeding 
broad  ;  thy  justice  reacheth  unto  the  clouds. 

II.  The  second  great  article  of  morals,  upon 
which  our  conceptions  are  much  more  imperfect 
than  they  ought  to  be,  is  the  duty  of  benevolence. 
This  is  a  branch  of  duty  more  easy  to  praise  than 
to  practise  ;  and  not  only  so,  it  is  a  portion  of 
character,  in  which  we  are  most  sensible  to  the  de- 
fects of  others,  and  most  exorbitant  in  our  de- 
mands upon  those  who  have  it  in  their  power  to 
be  more  beneficent,  than  ourselves.  And  yet,  not- 
withstanding all  this  sensibility  upon  the  subject 
of  benevolence,  though  it  is  the  topic  of  univer- 
sal praises,  the  virtue  upon  which  men  who  have 
no  other,  are  most  disposed  to  descant ;  and 
though  it  is  no  less  the  subject  of  our  Saviour's 
instructions,  than  of  the  popular  philosophy,  per- 
haps we  shall  be  found  upon  examination,  to  en- 
tertain very  inadequate  ideas  of  its  real  obliga- 
tions. 

The  commandment  of  doing  to  others  as  we 
would  have  them  do  to  us,  is  exceeding  broad. 
Let  us  compare  it,  not  with  the  practice  of  man- 
kind, but  with  the  prevailing  maxims,  which  we 
frequently  hear  in  society.  Thus  he  may  pass  for 
a  benevolent  man,  who  relieves  the  poor  when  they 
importune  him,  who  contributes  his  share  to  a 
popular  subscription,  who  takes  care  of  his  desti- 
tute relations,  and  provides  perhaps  for  some  who 
have    no  claims   upon  his    kindness,    except  the 


124  SERMON  XII. 

common  rights  of  humanity  in  distress.  It  is  a 
common  observation  with  those,  who  would  be 
shocked  to  be  thought  deficient  in  benevolence, 
'  that  charity  begins  at  home.'  True,  it  does ; 
but  there  it  never  terminates.  It  is  the  quality  of 
true  benevolence  to  expand  itself  constantly,  and 
when  it  is  contracted  by  necessity  into  a  smaller 
circle,  it  suffers  a  compression,  which  gives  the 
spirit  of  doing  good  a  greater  vigor. 

The  great  defect  in  our  conceptions  of  benev- 
olence, is,  that  we  confine  it  too  much  to  the  duty 
of  alms-giving,  or  pecuniary  bounty.  Bounty  to 
the  poor  will  neither  atone  for  the  iniquitous  ac- 
quisition of  wealth,  nor  excuse  us  from  the  neces- 
sity of  cultivating  an  habitual  disposition  of  benev- 
olence. Occasional  or  long  continue  attention 
to  particular  persons,  will  not  atone  for  a  constant 
churlishness  of  temper  to  others,  nor  will  it  com- 
pensate for  a  hard,  unyielding  character  in  busi- 
ness, or  for  an  habitual  selfishness  and  cool  neg- 
lect of  others'  accommodation. 

The  notions  which  the  apostles  entertained  of 
this  virtue,  we  find  in  the  address  of  Peter  to  the 
man  at  the  porch  of  the  temple,  before  he  healed 
him.  '  Silver  and  gold  have  I  none,  but  such  as  I 
have,  give  I  unto  thee.'  There  is  hardly  anything 
which  in  some  cases  more  clearly  evinces  a  defect 
of  benevolence,  than  the  giving  of  money,  when 
it  is  done  to  silence  importunity,  or  to  excuse  us 
from  the  trouble  of  ascertaining  the  real  wants  of 
the  distressed  and  the  best  mode  of  relieving 
them. 


MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  1 85 

We  see  in  the  life  of  our  blessed  Lord,  who  had 
no  earthly  possessions,  the  spirit  of  doing  good, 
in  all  its  activity  and  extent.  You,  who  have 
so  much  in  your  power  to  do,  have  you  ever 
thought  of  this  bright  example  of  generosity  with- 
out almsgiving,  relief  without  money,  effectual  be- 
nevolence without  influence,  character,  or  reputa- 
tion, and  can  you  think  that  the  christian  law  of 
benevolence  is  completely  answered  by  the  giving 
of  alms?  If  I  maybe  permitted  to  inquire  into 
your  practical  persuasions  upon  this  subject,  I 
would  ask  you,  in  the  first  place,  is  beneficence 
truly  agreeable  to  you  ?  Is  it  your  meat  and  your 
drink  to  cooperate  with  your  Father  in  heaven  in 
the  grand  object  of  human  happiness  ?  Are  not 
your  benefactions  sometimes  extorted  from  you 
through  fear  of  shame,  or  are  you  often  grieved 
that  you  cannot  do  more  ?  Are  you  satisfied  from 
year  to  year  with  a  particular  measure  of  doing 
good,  though  your  means  in  the  mean  time  may 
have  prodigiously  increased,  and  your  power  of 
serving  mankind  have  evidently  extended  ? 

Again  ;  have  you  a  practical  persuasion  of  your 
duty  to  others  as  a  man  of  influence,  knowledge, 
power,  and  notoriety,  as  well  as  wealth  ?  Do  you 
consider  how  much  you  ought  to  surrender  of  your 
personal  accommodation  to  the  welfare  of  others? 
that  many,  whom  your  bounty  would  not  profit, 
your  knowledge  may  assist,  your  advice  may 
save,  your  encouragement  may  stimulate,  your  pat- 
ronage may  establish,  your  praises  may  inspire, 
24 


j  3g  SERMON  XII. 

your  example  may  incalculably  serve  ?  Have  you 
considered  that  it  is  a  duty  of  benevolence,  not 
merely  to  lend  your  good  offices  when  they  are  so- 
licited, but  to  anticipate  applications,  to  meet  the 
advances  of  the  timid,  to  inquire  into  the  circum- 
stances of  the  distressed,  and  to  rejoice  as  much 
in  any  newly  discovered  opportunity  of  doing  good 
as  in  a  new  acquisition  ?  Have  you  considered 
that  he  who  is  not  active  in  his  benevolence,  who 
imparts  only  what  is  obtained  from  him  by  direct 
application,  is  of  all  men  the  most  prejudicial  to 
the  growth  of  a  spirit  of  benevolence,  because 
he  gains  the  character  of  a  benevolent  man,  with- 
out imparting  any  of  the  spirit  of  that  blessed 
quality  ?  Such  a  man  gives  no  life  to  the  generos- 
ity of  the  community  ;  he  does  no  more  good  than 
the  precise  amount  of  his  benefaction  produces. 

Again ;  the  great  law  of  christian  benevolence 
includes  every  object  within  its  reach,  enemies, 
not  less  than  friends,  the  distant  as  well  as  the 
near ;  strangers  as  well  as  familiar  acquaintance. 
It  does  not  suffer  us  to  give  them  up,  when  many 
are  willing  to  retire  and  be  forgotten.  Christian 
benevolence  forbids  our  adopting  the  common 
profession.  Though  such  an  one  is  my  enemy,  I 
would  relieve  him  from  distress  if  he  came  in  my 
way,  but  it  requires  every  man  to  seek  for  recon- 
ciliation where  he  has  any  hope  of  obtaining  it ;  to 
rejoice  in  all  the  happiness  which  he  sees  inno- 
cently enjoyed  by  his  enemies ;  to  contribute  his 
share  to  the  comfort  and  good   humor  of  society, 


MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSrEL.  107 

even  when  his  vanity  is  sometimes  mortified,  and 
his  feelings  wounded.  In  short,  it  is  every  man's 
duty  to  consider  how  much  more  is  necessary  to 
benevolence  than  mere  bounty  or  compassion, 
and  that  the  good  will  which  will  make  no  sacri- 
fice, is  little  more  than  a  reputable  selfishness. 

Finally,  my  friends,  is  that  a  genuine  spirit  of 
benevolence  which  does  not  extend  itself  to  the 
source  of  all  the  misery  in  the  world,  and  evinces 
no  interest  in  the  moral  condition  and  everlasting 
welfare  of  others  ?  Docs  the  law  of  christian  be- 
nevolence allow  us  to  be  satisfied  with  relieving 
misery,  when  we  take  no  pains  to  prevent  vice  ? 
Has  he  any  claim  to  the  character  of  a  man  of 
real  benevolence,  who  encourages,  by  his  exam- 
ple or  his  neglect,  that  depravity  in  the  communi- 
ty which  terminates  at  last  in  the  very  distress 
which  he  is  prompt  to  relieve  ?  Can  any  sympa- 
thy with  affliction,  any  nobleness  of  temper,  any 
boasted  instances  of  generosity,  any  instinct  of 
kindness,  atone  for  an  indifference  to  the  moral 
and  religious  character  of  those  with  whom  we 
are  connected,  or  for  habits  of  vice,  which  destroy 
all  that  is  valuable  in  human  life  ?  Talk  not,  then, 
my  friends,  of  benevolence  without  principle,  of 
compassion  which  has  no  object  but  that  of  reliev- 
ing visible  distress,  of  a  generous  temper,  which  has 
no  feeling  for  the  depravity  and  crimes  of  mankind. 
That  is  not  benevolence,  which  will  make  no  sac- 
rifices for  the  general  good.  The  benevolence  of 
the  gospel  is  active  as  well  as  passive,  compre- 
hensive, pure,  peaceful,  and  gentle. 


|88  SERMON  XII. 

III.  The  next  branch  of  christian  virtue  which 
we  shall  consider,  is  the  great  law  of  purity ;  not 
because  we  imagine  it  to  be  that  which  is  most 
frequently  transgressed,  but  because  it  is  one 
which  is  very  seldom  treated  with  the  seriousness 
it  deserves.  Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before 
God  and  the  Father,  is,  not  only  to  visit  the  father- 
less and  widows  in  their  affliction,  but  to  keep 
one's  self  unspotted  from  the  world.  Blessed  are 
the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God. 

From  these  expressions  you  cannot  fail  to  un- 
derstand, that  purity  does  not  consist  merely  in 
laying  a  restraint  here  and  there,  where  we  are 
most  exposed,  nor  in  avoiding  some  disreputable 
spots  of  character ;  but  purity  of  heart  is  that 
white  robe  which  envelopes  all  the  virtues  of  the 
character,  a  robe  so  white  and  delicate  that  it  may 
be  stained  no  less  easily  from  within  than  from 
without. 

But  before  we  consider  the  extent  of  this  law 
of  purity,  let  us  express  our  grief  and  astonish- 
ment, that  any  should  be  found  in  a  christian  com- 
munity, and  professing  to  regard  the  gospel  as  their 
rule  of  morals,  who  yet,  in  making  up  their  judg- 
ment, or  in  regulating  their  treatment  of  others, 
hardly  take  the  consideration  of  purity  into  their 
estimate  of  character.  With  all  our  professions 
of  Christianity,  we  have  yet  chosen,  against  the  very 
spirit  and  letter  of  God's  laws,  to  make  an  unau- 
thorised distinction  between  sins,  which  may  be 
practised  with  and  without  the  loss  of  reputation. 


MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  1  8<J 

Are  there  not  sins,  which,  if  God  is  true,  will  cast 
a  man  away  from  his  presence,  which  yet  are  far 
from  shutting  him  out  of  the  esteem  of  man  ? 

Of  that  infinite  variety  of  characters  of  which 
society  is  composed,  one  of  the  most  common  is 
that  of  the  man  who  allows  himself  in  a  single 
favorite  vice.  lie  finds  that  there  are  sins  which 
he  may  practise  with  security  in  secret,  and  that 
even  if  they  are  known  within  his  favorite  circle, 
he  loses  nothing  of  his  good  estimation.  There, 
if  indeed  any  excuse  is  expected  of  him,  he  does 
not  deny  his  constitutional  infirmity  ;  to  the  better 
part  of  society  he  is  willing  to  atone  for  it  in  some 
other  way.  To  himself  he  pleads  the  force  of 
temptation,  or  even  of  habit ;  yet  he  will  take 
care  to  be  as  inoffensive,  and  always  as  honorable 
as  possible  in  his  indulgences.  Perhaps  he  even 
ventures  to  think  that  he  does  no  injury  to  society, 
that  his  character,  on  the  whole,  is  not  materially 
defective.  Does  he  ever  think  of  God  ?  Perhaps, 
even  God  will  not  be  strict  in  condemning  me ! 

On  the  whole,  he  is  entirely  persuaded  that  he  is 
not  worse  than  the  majority ;  nay,  he  is  inclined 
to  believe  that,  with  this  single  exception,  as  he 
dares  to  regard  it,  he  is  a  better  man  than  his 
more  conscientious  neighbour,  who,  without  any 
visible  criminality,  is  certainly  not  so  amiable,  nor 
so  generous,  nor  so  honorable  as  himself.  Men  of 
this  character  are  sometimes  capable  of  acts  of 
great  generosity,  resorting  to  beneficence  as  a 
species  of  equivalent  for  a  strictly   pure  and  vir- 


190  SERMON  XII. 

tuous  life  ;  as  if  they  could  indulge  a  favorite  sin, 
at  the  price  of  practising  a  virtue,  which  in  its 
common  acceptation  is  the  least  difficult  and  the 
most  popular  of  all  the  virtues. 

In  the  character  we  have  now  drawn,  we  find 
the  danger  of  taking  our  estimate  of  any  from  the 
maxims  of  the  world.  To  men  of  this  description 
what  is  that  language  of  the  gospel,  which  we 
presume  they  are  not  yet  hardy  enough  to  disdain? 
What  is  the  language  of  that  strict  reason,  which, 
if  they  hear  not  from  their  consciences,  they  must 
hear  at  last  from  their  Judge  ?  '  He  that  keeps 
the  whole  law,  and  yet  offends  in  one  point,  is 
guilty  of  all.'  He  has  no  true  principle  of  virtue, 
no  sincere  obedience  to  the  will  of  God.  His 
fair  show  of  popular  qualities  is  a  show  of  rotten 
fruit.  In  the  sight  of  God  he  is  radically  corrupt. 
He  is  criminal,  he  is  in  the  path  to  ruin,  though, 
in  his  own  estimation,  he  has  narrowed  it  to  a 
single  sin.  He  is  surely  working  out  his  own  de- 
struction, though  singly,  secretly,  and  honorably. 
The  world  kindly  calls  him  his  own  enemy ;  he  is 
not  only  his  own  enemy,  he  is  man's,  he  is  God's ; 
because  he  is  attempting  a  union  of  irreconcila- 
ble qualities,  of  virtues  and  vices  which  the  day 
of  retribution  will  show  him  that  even  God's  om- 
nipotence cannot  reconcile. 

My  christian  hearers,  remember  this.  The  man 
who,  in  the  language  of  the  world,  has  only  one 
vice  but  many  virtues,  has,  in  religious  strictness, 
no  virtues  at  all.     Do  not  misunderstand.     The 


MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  191 

man  who  deliberately  allows  himself  in  any  sin 
which  God,  and  reason,  and  Christianity  disallow, 
has  in  fact  no  true  and  sincere  principles.  He 
may  possess  some  amiable  dispositions,  but  really 
he  has  no  morals.  However  the  thoughtless  or 
the  irreligious  world  may  excuse  or  flatter  him, 
as  a  man  of  an  excellent  heart,  because,  instead 
of  being  guilty  of  theft  or  fraud  or  some  other 
unpopular  crime,  he  only  happens  to  be  the  slave 
of  a  more  fashionable  vice;  in  the  sight  of  God, 
these  distinctions  are  neither  made  nor  admitted  ; 
and  would  to  God,  they  were  never  admitted  in 
society  ! 

If  we  proceed  to  inquire  into  the  notions  of  pu- 
rity, which  are  entertained  by  men  who  do  not 
allow  themselves  in  habitual  transgressions  of  pos- 
itive laws,  I  fear  we  shall  find  much  indistinctness. 
It  is  impossible  to  avoid  this  conclusion,  where  we 
observe,  as  we  sometimes  may,  that  the  tongue 
will  take  a  license  denied  to  the  actions.  Let  us 
follow  out  our  train  of  thoughts,  and  we  shall  of- 
ten find  them  traversing  ground  which  is  danger- 
rous  or  corrupting.  There  is  no  sin  in  this,  if 
these  thoughts  are  not  encouraged,  if  they  are 
banished  and  never  recalled.  But  is  it  true,  that 
any  great  compunction  ever  follows  these  wander- 
ings of  the  fancy,  which  are  often  the  beginnings 
of  irretrievable  disorder?  What  notions  can  they 
have  of  the  obligations  of  purity,  who  will  expose 
themselves  to  temptations,  because  they  can  easily 
resist   them  ?     What  notions  of  purity  can  they 


192  SERMON  XII. 

have,  who  will  not  only  drink  in  themselves,  but 
proffer  to  others,  the  poison  of  licentious  thoughts, 
and  think  that  all  is  well  ?  From  this  low  sense 
of  purity,  which  satisfies  the  world,  we  turn  to  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  that  we  may  breathe  a  purer  air. 
Now,  in  the  view  of  Jesus,  the  opposite  of  purity 
is  every  species  of  internal  defilement.  In  his 
gospel,  we  learn  that  out  of  the  heart  proceed  evil 
thoughts,  adulteries,  fornications,  an  evil  eye,  blas- 
phemy, pride,  foolishness.  There  we  find  that  the 
seat  of  impurity  is  in  the  affections,  and  till  these 
are  purified,  the  inner  chambers  of  the  mind  re- 
main the  scene  of  vices  of  which  the  world  knows 
nothing.  There  we  learn,  that  the  same  control 
of  the  actions  is  not  only  insufficient,  but  that  it 
has  been  always  unsuccessful.  There,  too,  we  un- 
derstand that  the  principal  design  of  our  Saviour's 
exhortations  on  the  subject  of  purity,  is,  to  direct 
our  attention  to  the  thoughts,  in  contradistinction 
to  the  actions,  which  are  external.  It  is  only  when 
We  think  of  this,  that  we  can  understand  the  full 
force  of  such  injunctions  as  these ;  '  Purify  your- 
selves from  all  corruptions  of  the  flesh  and  spirit ; 
even  as  Christ  our  Lord  is  pure;'  '  Crucify  the 
old  man,  and  put  on  the  new  man,  in  righteous- 
ness and  true  holiness,  and  your  hearts  shall  be 
the  temple  of  the  Holy  Spirit.'  We  can  under- 
stand by  these  expressions,  however  metaphorical, 
nothing  less  than  this,  that  the  heart  must  be  di- 
vested of  all  those  inclinations,  which,  whether 
they  break  out  into  action  or  not,  are  inconsistent 


MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  \  93 

with  that  purity,  of  which  our  Saviour  has  left  us  an 
example,  and  to  preserve  which  we  are  solemnly 
enjoined. 

Among  the  innumerable  proofs  of  the  divinity  of 
everything  relating  to  Jesus  and  Christianity,  the 
stress  laid  upon  the  regulation  of  the  thoughts,  is 
admirable  and  peculiar.  With  our  Saviour,  and 
with  him  only,  thought  is  everything.  He  knew 
what  was  in  man  ;  and  he  does  not  merely  recom- 
mend this  restraint,  or  propose  it  as  a  greater  de- 
gree of  perfection,  but  he  declares  it  in  the  very 
first  instance  essential.  Therefore,  keep  thy  heart 
with  all  diligence,  for  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of 
life. 

IV.  The  fourth  division  now  remains,  in  which 
we  proposed  to  examine  some  of  the  prevailing 
notions  with  regard  to  piety,  not  with  a  view  of 
showing  the  want  of  it  in  the  world,  but  of  cor- 
recting the  notions  which  are  entertained  of  this 
branch  of  christian  duty. 

By  piety  is  here  meant,  not  the  whole  of  a 
christian  character,  sometimes  expressed  by  the 
word  godliness,  but  that  branch  of  duty  which  has 
God  more  immediately  for  its  object.  It  is,  un- 
doubtedly, not  only  a  duty,  but  of  all  duty  the  most 
valuable  part.  For  that  disposition  towards  God, 
which  leads  to  the  performance  of  all  other  duties, 
is  not  only  necessary  to  the  perfection,  but  even  to 
the  existence  of  steadfast  virtue  and  christian  mo- 
rality. 

25 


194  SERMON  XII. 

There  are  those  who  have  no  reference  in  their 
conduct  to  God's  will,  no  affections  of  which  God 
is  the  object.  No  man  can  doubt  this,  who  consid- 
ers that  among  the  higher  classes,  the  law  of 
honor  has  in  many  cases  superseded  the  law  of 
God  ;  and  there  are  thousands,  who,  when  they 
think  at  all  of  the  moral  character  of  their  actions, 
ask  no  other  question  than,  How  will  this  appear, 
what  will  be  thought  of  it  ?  A  great  portion  of 
those  in  humble  life,  derive  their  moral  ideas  from 
the  law  of  the  land  ;  and  with  them,  that  is  right 
which  does  not  expose  them  to  punishment. 
There  is  however  another  class  of  refined  and  de- 
licate spirits  of  great  sensibility,  who  seem  to  have 
a  love  of  virtue,  enough  at  least  to  furnish  out  a 
declamation,  whose  notion  of  it  seems  at  last  to 
resolve  itself  into  a  refined  sentiment  or  taste ; 
and  there  is  a  still  more  numerous  and  reflecting 
class  of  those  who  reduce  all  their  duty  into  pre- 
sent utility,  and  attempt  to  build  up  a  system  of 
morals,  unconnected  with  religion,  and  without 
reference  to  the  will  of  God. 

But  we  must  be  more  particular.  In  the  first 
place,  it  cannot  fail  to  have  been  remarked  by 
you,  that  there  are  many  very  reputable  and  hon- 
est men,  who  do  not  consider  the  duties  of  piety 
as  essential  parts  of  a  good  character.  Now, 
if  we  admit  that  there  is  a  God  who  made 
us  and  supports  us,  and  if  we  admit,  too,  that 
man  is  cap-able  of  knowing,  serving,  and  loving 
this  God,  it  must  appear  to  every  man  who  thinks, 


MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  195 

that  he  must  be  a  monster,  who  has  no  sentiments 
of  piety.  You  cannot  but  acknowledge,  that  where 
the  greatest  excellence  exists,  the  highest  venera- 
tion is  due  ;  and  that  to  him  to  whom  we  are  most 
obliged,  and  on  whom  we  are  most  dependent,  we 
owe  the  highest  gratitude  and  reverence.  We 
are  moral  and  rational  creatures ;  and  constituted 
as  we  are,  what  can  be  proved  to  be  a  duty,  if  this 
cannot,  that  we  should  cultivate  the  best  affec- 
tions towards  God,  reverencing  him  as  the  great- 
est, submitting  to  him  as  the  wisest,  loving  and 
imitating  him  as  the  best  of  beings  ?  But  this  is 
piety.  And  yet  there  are  men,  who  consider  piety 
as  not  essential  to  a  good  character.  Suppose  we 
should  choose  to  say  that  love  and  obedience  to 
parents  were  no  part  of  morals,  and  that  a  man 
might  be  a  very  good  man,  who  neglected  and 
disobeyed  the  authors  of  his  existence.  Now  this 
would  be  an  inconsiderable  error  compared  with 
the  other,  inasmuch  as  God  is  everything  to  us, 
and  all  our  other  obligations  are  united  and  com- 
bined in  our  duty  to  him.  We  object  not  to  moral- 
ity. Would  to  God  there  were  more,  and  higher, 
and  purer,  and  better.  But  we  know  of  no  moral- 
ity among  rational  men,  among  Christians,  that  is 
not  built  upon  the  sense  of  duty  to  God.  We  may 
talk  of  utility,  of  prudence,  of  pleasure,  of  honesty, 
and  beneficence  ;  but  without  piety,  the  soul,  the 
life  of  virtue  is  absent,  and  in  the  day  of  trial  this 
fair  and  splendid  structure  will  fail.  When  the 
rains  and  the   floods  descend,   and  beat   on  this 


196  SERMON  XII. 

building  it  will  fall,  for  it  is  founded  upon  the 
sand. 

In  the  second  place,  it  seems  to  be  a  common 
opinion,  that  piety  is  a  quality  to  be  found  only  in 
particular  constitutions,  a  disposition  dispensed  to 
some  and  denied  to  others,  one  of  those  diversi- 
ties in  taste  and  temper,  which  makes  a  variety 
indeed  in  life,  but  that  some  men  are  not  gifted 
with.it,  and  it  is  not  to  be  expected  of  them. 

Will  you  acknowledge  then  that  piety  is  unnat- 
ural to  you  ?  Do  you  know  that  piety  means  an 
affection  of  the  mind  to  the  greatest  and  worthiest 
Being  in  nature  ;  a  grateful  feeling  towards  the 
best  friend,  a  trust  in  his  wise  and  kind  protection, 
a  confidence  in  his  paternal  government,  a  sub- 
mission to  his  will,  a  desire  of  his  esteem,  and  a 
humble  expectation  of  happiness  from  his  favor  ? 
Do  you  know  God,  and  are  you  ready  to  say  that 
your  minds  are  so  formed,  that  you  have  no  vene- 
ration or  love  for  such  a  character?  Will  you 
plead  that  piety  is  unnatural  to  you  ?  God  will  not 
admit  of  this  plea.  God,  who  knows  that  he  has 
laid  in  the  constitution  of  human  nature  a  founda- 
tion for  all  those  affections  of  the  soul  which  con- 
stitute piety,  will  not  admit  of  this  extenuation. 

This  mistake,  no  doubt,  arises  in  some  degree 
from  our  judging  of  the  nature  of  true  piety  from 
the  form  which  it  takes  in  particular  tempers.  All 
good  affections  are  different  in  different  minds. 
For  example,  the  friendship  of  some  men  is  strong 
and   quiet,  of  others    ardent.     The  humanity  of 


MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  197 

some  is  melting  and  tender,  of  others  active  and 
constant  but  calm.  So  it  is  with  piety.  The  only 
thing  of  consequence,  is,  that  it  be  sincere,  real, 
habitual,  possessing  the  heart,  keeping  God  in 
view  in  all  the  interests  of  our  lives,  and  doing  eve- 
rything with  reference  to  him.  The  man  who  is 
willing  to  admit  that  he  has  no  dispositions  of  this 
kind  towards  God,  virtually  admits  that  he  has  no 
good  dispositions.  He  would  be  ashamed  to  say, 
that  he  was  incapable  of  entering  into  the  affec- 
tions and  practising  the  duties  of  a  good  subject, 
friend,  or  son.  If,  then,  he  is  willing  to  admit  that 
he  has  no  disposition  to  piety,  he  in  fact  excites 
the  suspicion,  and  justly  too,  that  he  is  pursuing 
some  indulgences,  and  the  slave  of  some  affec- 
tions, which  are  at  enmity  with  God,  and  with 
which  he  is  afraid  to  present  himself  before  God. 
The  language  of  his  heart  is,  '  Depart  from  me,  for 
I  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways.'  This, 
then,  is  a  mistake  which  deserves  our  most  serious 
consideration. 

There  exists,  however,  a  third  proof  of  the  defi- 
ciency of  our  notions  on  the  subject  of  piety,  and 
this  is,  the  sentiment  so  often  professed  even  by 
good  and  exemplary  men,  that  they  attend  upon 
the  public  worship  of  God  for  the  sake  of  setting 
an  example.  Be  not  surprised  or  offended  that 
this  language  is  adduced  as  a  proof  of  the  in- 
competency of  our  religious  notions.  Let  this 
consideration  of  example  have  all  the  weight  which 
it  deserves ;  but  in  the  name  of  God,  whom  we  pro- 


198  SERMON  XII. 

fess  to  worship  on  this  spot,  let  it  not  usurp  the 
place  of  those  affections  towards  him,  which  con- 
stitute true  religion.  Whenever  our  acts  of  devo- 
tion, or  any  other  duties  of  piety,  are  observed 
merely  for  the  sake  of  example,  the  ground  of  ac- 
tion is  unsubstantial.  If  there  is  no  reason  for  a 
duty,  beside  the  example,  there  is  in  truth  no  rea- 
son for  it  at  all.  This  language  would  lead  to  this 
most  absurd  conclusion,  that  if  every  one  were 
entirely  disposed  to  do  his  duty,  and  had  no  need 
of  encouragement  from  the  example  of  others, 
there  would  be  no  reason  left  for  any  duty ;  in 
other  words,  we  should  have  no  duties  to  perform. 
In  truth,  if  example  were  the  only  reason  for  the 
duties  of  piety,  or  for  religious  services,  what  sup- 
port have  they  ?  None.  Our  conclusion  from  this 
reasoning  then  is,  not  that  it  is  unlawful  to  admit 
this  consideration,  but  that  it  is  dangerous  and 
wicked  to  allow  that,  which  is  only  secondary  and 
consequential,  to  shut  out  from  our  thoughts  the 
true  foundation  of  piety  towards  God.  If  this  is 
the  only  motive  for  the  observance  of  religious 
services,  their  religious  quality  has  disappeared, 
their  very  life  has  vanished.  Let  us  not  say  that 
we  come  here  to  pray.  We  do  not ;  we  come  here 
for  the  sake  of  the  example  !  Proud  man !  idle 
spectator  of  this  scene  !  you  vouchsafe  your  pre- 
sence in  these  assemblies  for  the  benefit  of  others, 
for  the  edification  of  the  people.  Have  you  then 
no  sins  to  deplore,  no  mercies  to  acknowledge,  no 
pardon  to  entreat  ? 


MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  J  99 

Piety,  my  christian  hearers,  can  spring  from 
nothing  but  itself,  its  own  sentiment  and  principle, 
the  sentiment  of  gratitude,  reverence,  and  love 
towards  God,  the  principle  of  obedience  to  his 
will,  as  the  foundation  of  all  christian  virtue  and 
true  morality.  Our  acts  of  piety  are  altogether 
defective,  in  motive  and  in  practice,  when  we  do 
not  consider  our  own  interests  involved  in  them, 
when  we  do  not  feel  them  to  be  our  own  particu- 
lar duty. 

Have  we  duly  thought  of  this  subject  ?  Is  pri- 
vate and  public  devotion  really  a  duty,  which  eve- 
ry rational  creature  owes  to  God,  or  is  it  only  a 
habit  which  has  grown  up  we  know  not  how,  from 
a  time  we  know  not  when  ?  Do  we  bear  in  mind, 
that  no  religious  services  can  be  effectual,  either 
with  God  or  with  ourselves,  in  which  the  affec- 
tions are  not  engaged  ?  If  we  never  experience 
that  warm  and  virtuous  energy  which  devotion  in- 
spires, the  consolation  it  imparts,  and  the  sympathy 
which  social  worship  ought  to  awaken,  we  do  not 
worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  If  these  are  our 
sentiments  and  feelings,  our  piety  will  be  an  exam- 
ple to  others,  and  yet  our  own.  It  will  be  public 
and  yet  personal.  It  will  be  what  Christ  would  have 
it,  when  he  said,  '  Let  your  light  so  shine  before 
men  that  they  may  see  your  good  works,  and 
glorify  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven.'  The 
glory  of  God  is  the  termination  of  the  precept ; 
and  if  we  keep  this  in  view,  our  example  will  have 
all  the  value  which  sincerity  and  piety  can  give  it. 


200  SERMON  XIII. 

My  christian  hearers,  let  us  not  forget  that  our 
character  is  utterly  defective  and  incomplete 
without  piety.  The  distinguishing  service  which 
Christianity  has  done  for  the  world,  is  to  bring  us 
to  the  knowledge,  love,  and  imitation  of  the  true 
God.  We  talk  indeed  of  the  morality  of  the  New 
Testament,  we  commend  its  virtuous  precepts. 
But  if  we  search  the  records  of  the  heathen  world, 
we  shall  find  many  great  and  good  men,  who  have 
made  extraordinary  advances  in  all  that  is  virtuous; 
in  justice,  temperance,  and  beneficence  ;  but  the 
best  and  wisest  of  them  made  no  approaches  to- 
wards the  piety  of  the  gospel.  Let  us  not  forget, 
then,  that  as  far  as  we  are  deficient  in  this  blessed 
temper  of  devotion,  so  far  do  we  fall  short  of  the 
spirit  of  Christianity,  the  glory  and  distinction  of 
a  Christian. 

If  there  was  ever  a  person  on  earth,  who,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  perfection  of  every  other  virtue, 
might  plead  an  exemption  from  this  of  piety,  it 
was  Jesus  Christ.  But  in  him  this  principle  was 
the  very  origin  and  substance  of  all  his  excellen- 
ces. Every  movement  of  his  heart,  every  act  of 
his  life,  was  to  please  God.  It  was  this  which 
gave  purity,  fortitude,  cheerfulness,  consistency  to 
everything  in  his  character.  lie  honored  and 
worshipped  his  heavenly  Father.  He  loved  him, 
and  delighted  to  hold  constant  communion  with 
the  Father  of  his  spirit.  If,  then,  we  possessed 
this  principle,  how  easy  and  delightful  would  be 
our  duty !    We  should,  from  a  principle  of  grati- 


MORALITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  201 

tude,  observe  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  and 
find  happiness  in  all  the  exercises  of  a  holy  and 
merciful  religion.  God  would  be  in  all  our 
thoughts,  and  whatsoever  we  did,  we  should  do  all 
in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


26 


SERMON  XIII. 


THE  COMMON  MISTAKES  ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  HAPPINESS 
AND  ITS  TRUE  SOURCES. 


Psalm  IV.  G. 

THERE    BE    MANY    THAT    SAY,    WHO    WILL    SHOW    US    ANY    GOOD  ? 

It  is  a  melancholy  consideration  that  this  has 
been  the  common  inquiry  of  men  ever  since  the 
world  was  made,  and  that  so  few  of  them  seem  to 
have  attained  to  anything  like  permanent  happi- 
ness. How  few  are  there  in  the  world,  who,  if  you 
ask  them  the  plain  and  simple  question,  Are  you 
happy  ?  would  answer  spontaneously,  that  they 
were.  How  busy  are  men  in  the  pursuit  of  this 
common  good!  How  numerous  and  opposite  are 
the  courses  which  they  take  !  How  frequent  and 
miserable  are  the  countenances  of  the  discontent- 
ed !  Philosophers  have  been  speculating  in  all 
ages  upon  the  supreme  good,  men  have  been  mak- 
ing every  imaginable  variety  of  experiment,  teach- 
ers have  given  innumerable  lessons  upon  this  most 
difficult  yet  most  simple  of  arts;  in  fine,  God  has 
more  than  once  interposed  to  assist  us  in  our  pro- 


FALSE  VIEWS  OF  HAPPINESS.  203 

gross,  and  offers  us  every  encouragement  to  the 
attainment  of  this  great  end,  and  yet  how  unsatis- 
fied are  we,  how  grossly  have  we  been  disappoint- 
ed in  the  past,  how  painfully  solicitous  are  we  for 
the  future! 

It  shall  be  my  present  object  to  inquire,  why 
there  is  not  more  happiness  among  mankind,  and 
in  order  to  this,  I  shall  endeavour  to  lay  open  some 
of  the  most  common  mistakes  upon  the  subject. 

I.  1 .  The  first  mistake,  which  is  too  common,  es- 
pecially among  those  who  have  experienced  many 
trials  and  difficulties  in  life,  is,  that  happiness  is  to 
be  found  in  rest.  Ask  those  who  are  so  busy  in  the 
active  pursuits  of  life,  to  what  they  look  forward 
with  such  ardent  expectations,  and  they  will  tell 
you  that  they  are  toiling  for  repose.  They  look 
with  envy  upon  the  condition  of  that  man,  who,  in 
the  language  of  the  world,  has  nothing  to  do  but 
enjoy  himself.  They  look  upon  exertion  as  a  spe- 
cies of  servitude,  as  if  he  were  the  only  indepen- 
dent man,  who  was  reposing  upon  his  laurels  or 
his  gains.  But,  as  has  been  pointedly  observed, 
that  man  is  most  restless,  who  is  most  at  rest. 
Nothing  is  so  hard  as  the  pillow  of  perpetual  indo- 
lence ;  nothing  so  oppressive  as  the  stagnant,  in- 
elastic air  of  entire  inactivity.  The  truth  is,  that 
the  mind  which  is  not  constantly  directed  to  some- 
thing exterior,  preys  upon  itself.  The  bed-ridden 
intellect  pines  away  in  atrophy  and  the  ever- 
lasting uneasiness  of  sloth.  Most  of  those  who 
have  nothing  to  do,   commonly  do  nothing,  or  do 


204  SERMON  XIII. 

wrong,  and  it  is  necessary  to  have  advanced  much 
further  than  most  of  us  have  in  the  work  of  our  in- 
tellectual perfection,  to  be  able  to  relinquish  with- 
out great  misery  the  career  of  active  exertion. 

2.  A  second  mistake  upon  the  subject  of  happi- 
ness, is,  that  it  is  to  be  found  in  prosperity.     The 
truth  is,  that  of  the  objects  of  human  acquisition, 
very   few  are  beyond    a    certain  limit   even  the 
means  of  happiness.     We  are  perpetually  making 
this  mistake  in  respect  to  riches,  and  confounding 
two  things  completely  distinct ;  that  is,  property 
and  happiness.     Ask  those,  I  pray  you,  who  have 
accumulated  the  most  enormous  fortunes,  whether 
they  have  ever  yet  been  able  to  increase  their  pos- 
sessions faster  than  their  wants.     It  is  indeed  a 
trite  maxim,  that  a  man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the 
abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesses,  yet 
common  as  it  is,  it  would  seem  as  if  it  were  a 
doubtful  truth  which    remains  to  be  established. 
For,  when  we  look  at  those  above  us,  and  find  that 
they  are    able    to    supply    those  wants   to  which 
we,  in  our  actual  situation,  are  most  sensible,  it  is 
natural  to  conclude  that  they  are  happy,  because 
we  should  be  happy  if  we  could  remove,  as  they 
can,  our  most  pressing  needs.     We  do  not  consid- 
er  that  the  higher  we  ascend  and   the  wider  we 
can  see,  the  more  we  desire,  and  it  is  often  true, 
that  as  our  horizon  is  more  extensive,   the  more 
barren  is  the  soil  immediately  around  us.     These 
are  all  common  truths  ;  but  trite  as  they  are,  allow 
mo  to  repeat,  that  he  who  can  command  every- 


FALSE  VIEWS  OF  HAPPINESS.  205 

thing,  will  soon  find  that  he  must  want  something, 
he  knows  not  what,  which  he  cannot  command. 
It  is  true,  the  rich  man  can  enjoy  more  ;  but  on 
the  other  hand  he  can  endure  less.  He  now  dares 
to  envy  the  man  whom  he  once  only  looked  up 
to  with  hopeless  admiration.  He  finds  that  the 
pleasures  Which  he  once  enjoyed  with  exquisite  sat- 
isfaction, have  now  strangely  lost  all  their  relish, 
and  that  there  is  not  so  much  happiness  in  posses- 
sion, as  there  was  in  expectation.  There  is  a 
strange  charm  in  the  idea  of  property.  We  think 
the  enjoyment  of  any  good  is  infinitely  heightened 
by  the  conciousness  that  it  is  our  own.  These  lit- 
tle words  exercise  a  powerful  spell  over  our  judg- 
ments. And  yet,  how  many  thousands  are  there, 
who,  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  say  of  anything  in 
truth, '  This  is  mine,'  lose  at  once  all  their  interest 
in  it,  and  strangely  neglect  sources  of  enjoyment, 
which,  when  they  possessed  them  not,  they 
thought  inexhaustible. 

3.  A  third  mistake  on  this  subject,  not  less  un- 
fortunate than  either  of  the  preceding,  consists  in 
supposing  that  happiness  is  to  be  found  in  perpetual 
excitement.  Hence  thousands  always  confound 
pleasure  with  mirth,  and  think  nothing  tolerable 
which  is  not  exquisite.  Others  think  nothing 
pleasant  which  is  not  riotous,  nothing  interesting 
which  is  not  boisterous,  nothing  satisfactory  which 
is  not  intoxicating.  It  is  this  mistake  which  leads 
so  many  through  the  ever  shifting  varieties  of  dis- 
sipation, when  what  ought  to  be  only  an  occasional 


206  SERMON  XIII. 

recreation  is  made  necessary  to  common  comfort, 
and  all  satisfaction  is  lost  in  the  wearisome  chase 
after  novelty. 

Others,  from  the  same  diseased  fancy,  cannot 
confine  themselves  to  a  single  spot.  They  rove 
continually  after  new  objects  of  imagination, 
taste,  and  knowledge.  They  cannot  endure  home- 
born  pleasures,  and  every  day  enjoyments.  Every- 
thing little  seems  to  them  insignificant,  everything 
permanent  seems  to  them  tedious.  All  these  mis- 
taken pursuers  of  good  are  sooner  or  later  the 
prey  of  excessive  ennui.  Having  been  always 
gay,  they  are  never  contented ;  always  delighted, 
they  are  never  tranquil.  Having  been  happy  only 
by  the  excitement  of  society,  they  are  miserable 
when  alone.  Old  age  proves  to  such  beings,  if 
they  ever  reach  it,  a  most  oppressive  condition. 
Deluded  as  they  have  been  with  the  notion  that 
happiness  consists  in  perpetual  excitement,  in 
great  events,  strong  feelings,  continual  novelties, 
and  vivid  pleasures,  they  sink  into  dejection,  indo- 
lence, melancholy,  and  become  weary  of  life  be- 
fore it  is  time  for  them  to  leave  the  scene  of  hu- 
man action  and  enjoyment. 

4.  A  fourth  mistake  in  relation  to  happiness, 
is,  that  we  make  our  provision  exclusively  for  the 
present  world  ;  we  do  not  take  into  view  the  whole 
of  our  existence,  and  of  course,  as  soon  as  the 
season  of  activity  is  over,  and  we  are  so  near  the 
term  of  human  life  that  we  are  compelled,  how- 
ever reluctantly,  to  think  of  the  world    which  is 


FALSE  VIEWS  OF  HAPPINESS.  207 

to  come,  we  are  filled  with  apprehensions  of  in- 
distinct calamity,  and  thus  the  remnant  of  life  is 
embittered.  We  find  ourselves  in  the  situation  of 
beings,  who  are  about  to  enter,  naked  and  un- 
friended, into  a  new  condition  of  existence.  God 
has  so  constituted  the  nature  of  our  happiness, 
that  it  will  ever  be  impossible  to  attain  to  the  full 
enjoyment  even  of  this  life,  without  taking  into 
our  view  the  life  to  come ;  for  as  long  as  there 
remains  in  any  mind  an  apprehension,  that  it  may 
exist  hereafter,  that  mind  can  never  be  at  ease  till 
it  is  conscious  of  possessing  some  sources  of  hap- 
piness which  this  change  of  residence  cannot 
effect.  In  comparison  with  eternity,  what  conso- 
lation is  it  to  have  laid  up  treasures  here  for  ten, 
or  for  ten  thousand  years  ?  What  is  the  comfort 
of  being  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  and  of 
faring  sumptuously  every  day  ?  No  wonder  he  is 
never  happy  who  thinks,  whenever  he  reflects  at 
all,  that  death  will  cut  him  off  at  once  from  all 
that  he  has  been  accustomed  to  call  life ;  that 
the  pleasures  of  the  palate  will  no  more  reach  the 
taste,  the  eye  will  no  more  indulge  itself  in  the 
contemplation  of  fine  forms,  the  organ  of  hear- 
ing will  be  no  longer  fed  with  the  music  of  sweet 
sounds,  and,  every  object  of  exterior  employ- 
ment at  once  struck  out  of  his  reach,  he  will  be 
left  with  nothing  but  the  intrinsic  possessions  of 
the  mind  and  heart — and  of  these  how  small  and 
worthless  will  be  found  the  inventory  ! 


208  SERMON  XIII. 

Such,  then,  are  the  dreary  consequences  of  hav- 
ing made  no  provision  for  any  life  but  the  present. 
It  proves  to  you,  that,  to  be  permanently  happy, 
we  must  extend  our  views,  enlarge  the  sphere  of 
our  vision,  the  nature  of  our  enjoyments,  and  take 
into  consideration  the  whole  of  our  existence. 
Especially  remember  that  this  world  is  but  the 
infancy  of  our  being.  Our  schemes  of  happiness, 
which  extend  no  further  than  this  life,  are  misera- 
bly defective.  It  is  as  if  the  child  were  to  lay  up 
a  vast  repository  of  toys  and  sweetmeats  to  feed 
and  to  amuse  him  when  he  arrives  at  man's  estate. 
It  is  as  if  he  were  to  collect  a  sumptuous  ward- 
robe for  his  future  life  of  vestments  adapted  to  his 
boyish  stature. 

With  all  these  sources  of  mistake,  is  it  surpris- 
ing that  so  few  men  are  happy  ?  Let  us  acknow- 
ledge that  we  have  been  mistaken.  Let  us  in- 
stantly endeavour  to  correct  our  misconceptions. 
Let  us  confess  that  we  have  taken  the  most  partial 
views  of  human  life ;  that  we  have  hewn  out  to 
ourselves  cisterns,  broken  cisterns  that  can  hold 
no  water. 

II.  We  will  attempt  to  explore  the  true  sources 
of  christian  and  intellectual  enjoyment,  which 
brings  me  to  the  second  division  of  my  discourse, 
in  which  I  proposed  to  point  out  the  true  and  only 
sources  of  good,  suited  to  the  nature  and  destina- 
tion of  man. 

We  will  examine  this  subject  in  reference  to  four 
circumstances  of  mind  and  character,  which  have 


SOURCES  OF  HAPPINESS.  209 

the  most  extensive  influence  on  human  happiness. 
These  are  our  habits,  our  opinions,  our  imagina- 
tion, and  our  temper.  You  observe,  that  we  entirely 
exclude  from  this  inquiry,  every  consideration  of 
the  outward  circumstances  whether  of  wealth  or  of 
station.  Not  that  these  are  entirely  without  influ- 
ence, but,  as  we  have  already  said,  their  influence 
is  much  less  than  is  commonly  imagined  ;  and  it  is 
an  influence  which  may  be  easily  controlled  by 
higher  considerations  ;  an  influence  which  is  al- 
ways diminished  or  modified  by  one  or  other  of  the 
mental  qualities  we  enumerate.  For  there  is  no 
place  so  low  to  which  the  meek  spirit  of  religious 
contentment  cannot  condescend,  and  none  so 
high  that  the  horrors  of  a  haunted  conscience  and 
the  pains  of  selfishness  cannot  reach. 

1 .  As  to  the  influence  of  our  habits  upon  our  hap- 
piness, to  the  young  and  to  parents  the  inquiry  is 
most  interesting  ;  for  habits,  you  well  know,  are 
early  and  permanent.  They  are  not  to  be  put  on 
and  off  like  our  youthful  garments.  The  gay  and 
vain  creatures  of  fashion,  the  hour  they  are  dis- 
pleased with  themselves  in  one  dress,  can  change 
it  for  another;  but  the  habit  of  dissipation  and  un- 
satisfied vanity  is  not  so  easily  changed.  If,  then, 
you  would  secure  to  yourselves  all  the  happiness 
which  habit  can  effect,  accustom  yourselves  from 
infancy  to  those  occupations  and  enjoyments  only, 
which  you  can  at  all  times  command.  If  you  have 
been  early  brought  up  to  depend  upon  circumstan- 
ces over  which  you  have  no  control,  every  change 
27 


210  SERMON  XIII. 

will  affect  your  comfort,  and  you  will  find  every 
new  situation  tear  up  the  roots  of  your  long  es- 
tablished pleasures. 

The  only  habits  consistent  with  uninterrupted 
happiness,  are  those  of  active  exertion  directed  to 
benevolent  ends.  These  never  become  weari- 
some, never  painful.  They  always  afford  the 
mind  a  sufficient  object,  and  always  bring  with 
them  their  own  reward.  They  are  not  attended 
with  any  of  the  pains  of  envy.  The  satisfaction 
they  furnish  is  not  affected  by  the  superior  suc- 
cess of  others  in  the  same  career  ;  and  if  in  any 
particular  instance  we  fail  of  success,  we  have  on- 
ly to  submit,  with  the  approbation  of  our  own 
minds,  to  the  will  of  Heaven,  or  to  divert  our  ener- 
gies into  a  new  direction.  For  the  mind  that  is 
habituated  to  active  goodness  can  never  want  a 
sphere  of  action,  and  it  is  a  state  which  never  re- 
quires relaxation  nor  tends  to  disgust  and  satiety. 

That  this  is  the  true  secret  of  happiness  as  it 
relates  to  our  habits,  is  not  less  confirmed  by  ex- 
perience than  by  the  spirit  and  precepts  of  Christi- 
anity. The  character  of  Jesus,  as  it  is  delineated  in 
the  Gospels,  is  a  model  of  benevolent  activity.  He 
was  always  about  his  Father's  business,  and  al- 
ways foresaw  a  sure  reward  of  his  labors  and  suffer- 
ings in  the  increasing  happiness  of  the  human  race. 
His  mind  was  always  filled  with  a  vast  object  of 
good,  and  if  there  was  any  period  in  the  course  of 
his  laborious  life  when  he  may  be  supposed  to 
have  enjoyed  more  satisfaction  than  at  others,  it 


SOURCES  OF  HAPPINESS.  21  1 

must  have  been  soon  after  he  entered  on  his  be- 
nevolent employment,  and  passed  rapidly  through 
the  cities  of  Galilee,  healing  all  manner  of  sickness 
and  all  manner  of  diseases  among  the  people,  and 
proclaiming  the  glad  tidings  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Christians,  the  true  secret  of  happiness,  is,  employ- 
ment for  the  kindest  ends  and  by  the  most  honor- 
able means.  Compared  to  this,  our  habits  of  sloth 
and  repose,  of  regular  sensuality,  of  grasping  ava- 
rice, of  selfish  occupation,  whether  of  the  imagina- 
tion or  of  the  senses,  is  nothing  but  sure  and  ulti- 
mate discontent.  Dare  to  disregard,  then,  the  com- 
mon prejudices  of  the  world  in  determining  the  sys- 
tem which  shall  govern  your  life,  and  remember 
that  however  painful  any  course  of  duty,  especially 
that  of  benevolent,  disinterested  conduct  may  be 
at  first  to  our  selfish  nature,  time  will  render  it  the 
source  of  the  highest  tranquillity.  The  habits  of 
a  life  of  truly  christian  activity,  will  prove  at  last 
the  only  satisfactory  objects  of  retrospection. 

2.  In  the  second  place,  with  respect  to  the  influ- 
ence of  our  opinions  upon  our  happiness,  it  is 
important  that  we  should  have  those  only  which 
give  us  the  most  consolatory  views  of  ourselves, 
of  the  world  around  us,  and  of  God.  I  do  not  re- 
fer here  to  our  merely  speculative  notions,  which 
have  no  operation  beyond  the  walls  of  our  studies  ; 
but  I  mean  those  which  take  deep  root  in  the 
mind,  and  exert  an  habitual  influence  upon  our 
conduct.  It  is  supposed,  I  know,  that  opinions  sel- 
dom affect  the  course  of  life  or  the  sum  of  happi- 


212  SERMON  XIII. 

ness.  This  may  be  true  with  the  unreflecting  and 
improvident,  who  look  for  nothing  in  the  world  but 
a  pasture  for  their  senses,  and  who  never  think 
upon  the  origin  or  destination  of  themselves  or 
others ;  but  in  this  description  I  hope  few  of  my 
hearers  are  included. 

With  respect  to  those  opinions,  then,  which  have 
the  most  favorable  influence  upon  human  happi- 
ness, we  again  find,  as  on  the  former  head,  that 
revelation  comes  to  our  instruction,  and  in  the 
light  of  the  gospel,  wherever  we  pass,  the  desert  of 
the  world  blooms  on  either  hand  with  hope.  Can 
there  be  no  difference  in  the  happiness  of  that  man 
who  believes  that  all  the  rich  manifestations  of 
beauty  in  creation  are  without  an  author,  all  the 
evils  in  the  world  without  a  controller,  and  every 
event  produced  by  a  blind,  unconscious  fatality, 
and  of  him  who  sees  at  the  head  of  creation  a 
wise  and  benevolent  Providence  ?  Can  there  be 
no  difference  in  the  reflections  of  that  man  who 
looks  upon  this  world  as  given  up  forever  to  be  the 
spoil  of  men's  wicked  passions,  and  who  considers 
himself  placed  on  the  earth  merely  to  struggle  for 
his  share  among  plunderers  and  fighters  for  a  little 
temporary  provision,  and  of  him  who,  by  the  light  of 
the  gospel,  discerns  the  slow  but  sure  melioration 
of  mankind,  and  resting  on  the  promises  of  scrip- 
ture, looks  forward  to  the  day  when  all  God's  de- 
signs shall  be  accomplished,  and  even  this  world 
be  changed  into  a  region  of  peace  and  joy  and 
christian  perfection?    Will  there  be  no  difference, 


SOURCES  OF  HAPPINESS.  9  |  3 

also,  in  the  satisfaction  of  him,  whose  opinion  it  is 
that  evil  predominates  in  the  visible  creation,  and 
that  this  world  is  a  state  of  suffering,  and  of  him  who 
discerns,  even  here,  the  preponderance  of  happi- 
ness, and  reposes  with  satisfaction  on  the  proofs 
of  divine  benevolence,  even  in  this  state  of  human 
probation  ?  Be  assured,  my  friends,  the  doctrines 
of  revelation  are  not  less  designed  to  promote  our 
tranquillity  than  to  advance  our  moral  improve- 
ment. Especially  consider,  I  beseech  you,  how 
important  to  our  peace  is  that  doctrine  of  Chris- 
tianity which  assures  us  of  the  pardon  of  sins  upon 
repentance ;  which  presents  to  us  the  God  whom 
we  have  all  offended,  in  the  light  of  a  Father  wil- 
ling to  be  reconciled  ;  which  satisfies  us  of  the 
ground  upon  which  this  pardon  is  dispensed,  and 
directs  us  to  the  mediation  of  the  Son  of  God. 
The  settlement  of  human  opinion  on  this  single 
particular,  may  be  supposed  to  operate  most  pow- 
erfully on  the  sum  of  general  and  individual  hap- 
piness. 

As  to  the  comparative  effect  of  different  views 
of  Christianity  upon  the  peace  of  those  who  enter- 
tain them,  it  is  a  subject  too  copious  for  this  occa- 
sion. Allow  me  to  suggest,  however,  that  when 
any  opinions  upon  this  interesting  subject  produce 
habitual  gloom  and  misanthropy,  the  nature  of 
religion  must  have  been  misapprehended,  and  cer- 
tainly the  object  of  it  defeated.  In  your  search, 
then,  after  happiness,  labor  to  acquire  the  most 
enlarged  views  of  God's  character  and  designs  as 


214  SERMON  XIII. 

declared  by  revelation,  and  these,  united  with  the 
benevolent  exertion  recommended  under  the  form- 
er head,  will  go  far  towards  securing  you  all  the 
happiness  which  is  to  be  enjoyed  in  this  narrow 
sphere  of  the  existence  of  an  intellectual  being. 

3.  If,  in  the  third  place,  we  consider  the  influ- 
ence of  the  imagination  upon  our  habitual  tran- 
quillity, we  shall  feel  the  importance  of  ascertaining 
the  means  of  regulating  its  influence  in  a  manner 
the  most  favorable  to  human  happiness.  There 
are  many,  I  know,  who  derive  little  either  of  plea- 
sure or  of  pain  from  their  imaginations  ;  but  there 
are  others  to  whom  it  is  a  source  of  exquisite  dis- 
tress, giving  them  the  most  dreary  prospects  of  fu- 
turity, harrassing  them  with  the  terrors  of  super- 
stition, or  depressing  them  with  the  dark  uncer- 
tainty of  scepticism. 

We  have  unintentionally  anticipated,  under  the 
last  head,  some  observations  which  belong  more 
properly  to  this. 

When  the  imagination  is  extremely  lively,  either 
from  original  constitution  or  from  early  cultiva- 
tion, if  it  is  not  made  a  sweet  fountain  of  felicity,  it 
is  usually  converted  into  one  of  the  most  distres- 
sing sources  of  misery.  Here,  too,  as  before,  the 
religion  of  Jesus  enters,  and  offers  the  imagination 
an  inexhaustible  store  of  higher  objects.  The 
scenes  which  he  discloses  beyond  the  grave,  are 
sublime  and  consolatory  on  the  one  hand,  and 
fearful  and  mortally  oppressive  on  the  other.  Can 
you,  then,  whose  minds  are  formed  to  derive  much 


SOURCES  OF  IIAITINESS.  215 

happiness  from  remote  anticipations,  hesitate  a 
moment  to  secure  the  favorable  influence  of  the 
christian  prospects  of  felicity  ?  My  peace,  says  our 
Saviour  to  his  disciples,  I  give  unto  you  ;  not  as  the 
world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you.  This  is  most  true, 
my  christian  friends,  and  all  the  imaginable  happi- 
ness which  a  mere  philosopher  can  derive  from  the 
tranquillity  with  which  he  may  be  able  to  look  for- 
ward to  the  events  of  tomorrow,  or  even  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days,  is  less  than  nothing  in  the 
estimate  of  human  happiness,  compared  to  the  joys 
of  a  Christian's  hope. 

But  in  the  wise  ordination  of  Providence,  the 
overpowering  nature  of  these  high  anticipations 
is  relieved  by  their  remoteness,  and  the  effect 
upon  the  Christian's  happiness  is  not  to  raise  him 
to  perpetual  ecstasy,  but  to  keep  up  in  his  mind  the 
glow  of  perpetual  hope. 

4.  The  last  circumstance  which  we  mentioned 
as  exercising  a  powerful  influence  on  human  hap- 
piness, is  the  temper.  We  hear  truly  good  men 
often  lamenting,  as  the  bane  of  their  happiness,  an 
instinctive  irascibility.  It  is  often,  indeed,  united 
with  strong  affection  and  benevolence,  and  often, 
alas !  destroys  the  happiness  which  might  be  ex- 
pected from  a  life  of  active  exertion,  not  so  much 
from  the  ill  effect  it  produces  on  the  mind,  as  from 
the  misfortunes  to  which  it  leads,  and  these  we 
are  not  always  able  to  alleviate  by  the  concious- 
ness  that  they  are  entirely  undeserved. 


216  SERMON  XIII. 

Ill  humor  is  still  more  unfavorable  to  happiness 
than  this  irascible  temper.  It  commonly  origi- 
nates in  self-dissatisfaction,  and  leads  him  who 
feels  it  to  refer  the  causes  of  his  discontent  to  the 
imaginary  faults  of  others,  and  keeps  him  in  a  state 
of  perpetual  peevishness.  I  need  not,  my  hearers, 
tell  you  that  to  enjoy  this  life,  it  is  necessary  to 
possess  a  temper  candid  to  the  faults  and  mistakes 
of  others,  disposed  to  mutual  accommodation,  not 
easily  provoked,  and  willing  to  see  everything  that 
occurs,  in  the  most  favorable  light.  Every  one 
knows  that  he  whose  disposition  is  most  favorable 
to  his  own  happiness,  is  most  agreeable  to  others, 
and  that  these  common  qualities  of  pleasing  and 
being  pleased  mutually  react  upon  and  generate 
each  other. 

But,  my  friends,  the  christian  doctrine  carries 
this  subject  of  the  temper  much  further,  and  repre- 
sents those  dispositions  as  essential  to  happiness 
which  we,  in  our  worldly  meditations,  are  too  apt 
to  despise,  as  if  they  exposed  a  man  to  insult  or 
ridicule.  If  we  read  the  beatitudes  in  our  Saviour's 
sermon  on  the  mount,  we  shall  find  the  utmost 
meekness  under  injuries,  the  most  unbounded  for- 
giveness represented  as  the  disposition  which  leads 
to  happiness.  We  shall  find  a  blessing  pronounc- 
ed upon  that  compassionate  temper  which  sympa- 
thizes with  all  the  miseries  of  human  life,  which 
shares  in  all  the  pains  it  meets,  weeps  with  the 
weeping,  and  mourns  with  the  bereaved.  Still 
further  does  our   Saviour  bless  the  patient  and 


SOURCES  OF  HAPPINESS.  217 

resigned  disposition  which  bears  without  a  mur- 
mur the  severest  afflictions  of  life,  while  we  are 
disposed  to  envy  the  hardness  of  the  man  who 
can  avoid  or  repulse  them. 

Ye  proud  spirits  who  cannot  endure  the  humble 
genius  of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  weigh  well  this 
subject  of  happiness  before  you  reject  this  self- 
denying  system.  Experience  will  decide  against 
you,  and  vindicate  the  beatitudes  of  the  sermon 
of  the  mount.  For  us  Christians  it  is  enough  that 
Jesus  has  pronounced  such  tempers  happy. 

My  friends,  1  have  attempted  to  lay  open  to  you 
the  true  sources  of  happiness.  Follow  the  stream, 
and  it  will  bear  you  away  to  the  full  ocean  of 
eternal  bliss.  Do  you  now  ask,  who  will  show 
ycu  any  good  ?  Jesus,  my  friends,  calls  to  you 
from  heaven  ;  Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water 
of  life  shall  never  thirst  asjain. 


28 


SERMON  XIV. 


THE  TEMPTATIONS  OF  THE  YOUNG. 
Matthew,  VI.  13. 

LEAD  US    NOT    INTO    TEMPTATION,    BUT    DELIVER    US    FROM    EVIL. 

The  life  of  every  man  of  established  religious 
principles  has  been  a  series  of  struggles.  He  has 
found  it  far  more  easy  to  form  than  to  keep  his 
best  resolutions,  and  he  has  discovered  also  with 
alarm,  that  any  course  of  conduct  is  far  more  easi- 
ly depraved,  than  it  is  amended.  Every  moral  ob- 
server knows  also,  that  mankind  do  not  agree  to 
approve  a  character,  which  is  today  wicked  and 
tomorrow  good,  which  is  habitually  scrupulous  in 
one  duty  and  remiss  in  another ;  but  we  give  the 
title  of  virtuous  to  that  man  only,  the  sum  total  of 
whose  habits  are  uniformly  on  the  side  of  virtue. 
This  is  one  of  the  difficulties  which  make  virtue 
laborious. 

Upon  further  inquiry  we  find,  that  no  man's 
goodness  is  innate  and  instinctive,  but  it  is  to  bo 
acquired  by  labor,  and  it  is  also  corruptible  by  cir- 


TEMPTATIONS  OF  THE  YOUNG.  2 1 9 

cumstances.  Sanctification  is  progressive.  Be- 
fore habits  of  virtue  can  be  established,  tempta- 
tions must  be  resisted,  pleasures  forborne,  pains 
endured,  danger  encountered,  sacrifices  made, 
false  steps  recovered,  and  not  a  few  momentsem- 
bittered  by  the  tears  of  penitence  and  remorse. 

Nothing  truly  great  is  given  to  mortals  without 
labor  ;  and  think  you,  that  moral  goodness,  that 
most  sublime  and  imperishable  of  human  posses- 
sions, is  the  offspring  of  chance  ?  Fortune  may 
make  a  man  distinguished,  but  it  can  never  make 
him  great ;  so  nature  may  make  a  man  innocent 
and  amiable,  but  never  virtuous.  Neither  is  virtue 
that  easy  acquisition,  that  a  man  may  secure  it  by 
flight  from  temptation.  It  is  as  if  you  were  to  ex- 
pect to  acquire  a  strong  constitution  by  retiring  to 
ease  and  sloth  in  the  country,  or  as  if  you  were  to 
seek  for  uninterrupted  health,  by  flying  from  infec- 
tion. No,  the  strength  of  a  Christian's  virtue  is  the 
reward  of  frequent  resistance  and  frequent  victo- 
ries. The  child  must  fall  often  and  hardly,  before 
its  step  becomes  firm. 

From  these  remarks,  however,  do  not  understand 
me  to  mean,  that  where  there  is  no  temptation 
there  can  be  no  virtue.  The  highest  degree  of 
moral  excellence  is  found,  we  know,  in  that  Being 
who  cannot  be  tempted  of  evil,  neither  tempteth 
he  any  man.  But,  my  friends,  it  hath  appeared 
best  to  this  all-wise  Being,  who  made  us,  to  cre- 
ate us  an  order  of  beings  whose  existence  here 
shall  be  transitory  and  probationary.     He  has  giv- 


220  SERMON  XIV. 

en  us  a  nature  which  is  capable  of  perpetual  pro- 
gress towards  himself,  and  he  that  can  advance, 
must  be  also  able  to  retreat.  The  higher  we 
soar,  the  stronger  will  be  our  flight,  but  the  lower 
we  creep,  the  darker  and  more  encumbered  is  our 
progress.  So  insecure  is  our  virtue,  that  we  can- 
not stand  firm  without  ascending  to  a  considera- 
ble height,  and  the  rewards  of  virtue  are  the  more 
sensible,  the  more  difficult  they  are  of  attainment. 
If  this  is  the  case,  it  does  not  become  us  to  com- 
plain that  we  were  not  created  angels,  with  in- 
corruptible natures  and  instinctive  goodness.  The 
rewards  of  holiness,  in  such  creatures  as  we  are, 
are  the  very  consequences  of  its  difficulties,  just 
as  an  estate  of  the  same  value  is  vastly  more  esti- 
mable to  one  who  has  attained  it  by  his  industry, 
than  to  him  who  inherits  it  from  his  ancestors. 

But  God,,  who  has  placed  man  in  what  may  be 
called  an  enemy's  country,  has  provided  him  with 
every  auxiliary.  He  has  not  left  him  to  roll  darkly 
down  the  torrent  of  his  fate.  Precepts,  example, 
promises,  threatenings,  honor,  shame,  suffering, 
reward,  and  every  variety  of  means  and  motives, 
are  provided  from  the  first  hour  that  the  mind 
discovers  any  intelligence,  to  train  it  up  to  holi- 
ness and  heaven.  You  may  choose  your  weapon 
from  the  whole  armoury  of  God.  In  the  language 
of  scripture,  you  may  gird  about  your  loins  with 
truth,  protect  your  heart  with  the  breastplate  of 
righteousness,  and  have  your  feet  shod  with  the 
preparation  of  the  gospel  of  peace.     Then,  with 


TEMPTATIONS  OF  THE  YOUNG.        221 

the  shield  of  faith*  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and 
the  sword  of  the  spirit,  you  may  be  expected  to 
endure  hardness  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ. 

It  shall  be  my  present  object,  to  direct  my  re- 
marks chiefly  to  the  young  and  inexperienced.  I 
shall  first  ascertain  the  true  meaning  of  the  words, 
*  lead  us  not  into  temptation  ; ' 

Secondly,  point  out  some  of  the  peculiar  temp- 
tations of  the  young ; 

Lastly,  offer  some  motives  and  considerations, 
which  may  serve  to  enlighten  and  fortify  the  inex- 
perienced mind. 

I.  In  reading  the  phrase,  '  lead  us  not  into 
temptation,'  it  should  be  remembered,  that  it  was 
common  with  the  Jews  and  indeed  with  all  the 
Oriental  nations,  to  refer  to  the  immediate  agency 
of  Deity,  every  change  in  the  appearance  of  na- 
ture, and  every  action  of  voluntary  agents.  How 
far  this  is  philosophically  or  religiously  correct,  it  is 
not  necessary  here  to  examine.  It  is  enough  for 
us  to  know,  that  an  apostle  has  said,  '  Let  no  man 
say,  when  he  is  tempted,  I  am  tempted  of  God.' 
We  understand  the  clause,  then,  to  mean,  '  Grant, 
that  in  the  ordinary  course  of  thy  Providence,  we 
may  find  ourselves  in  no  circumstances,  which 
may  put  our  virtue  to  atrial  too  severe.' 

The  other  petition,  '  but  deliver  us  from  evil,' 
may  be  variously  interpreted.  It  may  mean  exemp- 
tion from  temporal  and  natural  calamities  or  from 
immediate  danger.  Thus  interpreted,  it  will  in- 
clude  only  the  miseries  to  which  humanity  is  sub- 


222  SERMON  XIV. 

ject,  disappointments,  losses,  sickness,  and  death. 
But  as  there  appears  to  be  an  opposition  intended 
between  this  and  the  other  clause,  it  is  not  proba- 
ble that  deliverance  from  these  natural  evils  only, 
would  be  made  the  antithesis  to  the  dangers  of 
temptation,  which  are  of  a  nature  entirely  moral. 
'Deliver  us  from  the  evil  one,'  is  another  and  more 
literal  expression  of  the  original,  and  follows  the 
first  clause  with  peculiar  propriety.  We  would 
first  pray  to  be  preserved  from  temptation ;  but  if 
our  virtue  must  be  placed  in  perilous  circumstan- 
ces, we  pray,  that  it  may  not  yield  to  the  arts  of  the 
adversary.  Again  ;  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but 
deliver  us  from  the  evil  of  it,  that  is,  of  tempta- 
tion ;  a  sense  not  much  remote  from  the  last,  and 
amounting  to  a  request,  that  trials  and  temptations 
may  not  prove  ultimately  injurious  to  our  virtue. 

II.  My  young  friends,  for  to  you  are  these  re- 
marks especially  directed,  allow  me  to  warn  you  of 
some  of  the  dangers  of  temptation,  to  which  you 
are  exposed.  It  may  be  observed,  to  the  honor  of 
the  world  into  which  you  are  about  to  enter,  that 
the  character  of  a  deliberate  seducer  of  the  young 
is  rarely  known.  It  is  that  grade  of  depravity 
which  the  first  apostate  only  has  directly  and  seri- 
riously  reached.  You  will  soon,  however,  find 
men  in  society,  who  wish  for  associates  in  trans- 
gression, that  they  may  palliate  their  vices  to  oth- 
ers and  to  themselves,  by  the  multitude  who  are 
engaged  in  them,  and  who  hope,  that  what  is  no 
longer  singular  may  appear   no  longer  criminal. 


TEMPTATIONS  OF  THE  YOUNG.  J  }J, 

You  will  find  others,  who  depend  indirectly  upon 
the  vices  of  mankind  for  support,  and  who  secretly 
encourage  the  corruption  which  contributes  to 
their  own  emolument.  In  general,  however,  the 
instrumentality  of  others  in  our  temptation  is  not 
direct,  nor  deliberate  and  voluntary.  The  unaid- 
ed allurements  of  appetite  and  passion  every  one 
knows  to  be  sufficiently  powerful,  without  being 
stimulated  by  the  persuasions  of  others.  We  may 
safely  conclude  with  St  James,  '  that  every  man  is 
tempted,  when  he  is  drawn  away  of  his  own  lusts, 
and  enticed.' 

It  is  true  that  every  age  and  employment  has  its 
snares,  but  the  feet  of  the  young  are  most  easily 
entrapped.  Issuing  forth,  as  you  do,  in  the  morn- 
ing of  life,  into  the  wide  field  of  existence,  where 
the  flowers  are  all  open,  it  is  no  wonder  that  you 
pluck  some  that  are  poisonous.  Tasting  every 
golden  fruit  that  hangs  over  the  garden  of  life,  it 
is  no  wonder  that  you  should  find  some  of  the  most 
tempting,  hollow  and  mouldy.  But  the  peculiar 
characteristic  of  your  age,  my  young  friends,  is 
impetuosity  and  presumptuousness.  You  are  with- 
out caution,  because  without  experience.  You  are 
precipitate  because  you  have  enjoyed  so  long  the 
protection  of  others,  that  you  have  yet  to  learn  to 
protect  yourselves.  You  grasp  at  every  pleasure 
because  it  is  new,  and  every  society  charms  with  a 
freshness  which  you  will  be  surprised  to  find  grad- 
ually wearing  away.  Young  as  you  are  upon  the 
stage,  there  seems  to  be  little  for  you  to  know  of 


224  SERMON  XIV. 

yourselves ;  therefore  you  are  contented  to  know 
little,  and  the  world  will  not  let  you  know  more 
till  it  has  disappointed  you  oftener.  Perhaps 
it  has  been  foolishly  impressed  upon  your  fancies, 
that  it  is  expected  of  youth,  that  it  should  be  gay, 
of  age  that  it  should  be  sober ;  that  is  the  duty  of 
youth  to  enjoy,  and  that  age  will  bring  the  dispo- 
sition to  restrain,  and  the  leisure  to  repent.  You 
are  yet,  also,  unsuspecting  and  credulous.  Satiety 
has  not  yet  produced  disgust.  Disappointment 
has  not  yet  taught  you,  that  the  pleasures  of  sense 
and  fancy,  though  they  are  the  earliest,  are  not 
the  most  permanent  of  human  pleasures.  If  you 
will  not  learn  from  instruction  you  must  learn  from 
experiment.     Take  care  that  it  be  not  fatal. 

Youth  also,  although  it  has  not  the  deep  rooted 
prejudices  of  age,  entertains  a  thousand  false  no- 
tions, which  are  the  consequence  of  superficial  at- 
tainments. The  reason  of  a  young  man,  when  it 
first  begins  to  feel  its  powers,  loves  to  sport  itself 
in  paradoxes  and  singular  opinions.  But  in  mor- 
als, paradox  is  always  dangerous.  The  next  step 
to  justifying  irregularity,  is  to  practise  it;  and 
many  a  man  looks  back  upon  his  early  opinions 
with  mingled  astonishment  and  gratitude,  and  bles- 
ses God  that  his  habits  were  never  so  corrupt  as 
his  principles. 

It  is  true  that  age  has  its  failings ;  but  I  believe 
it  will  often  be  found  that  the  follies  of  age,  though 
utterly  opposite,  are  frequently  the  consequence 
of  the  sins  of  early  years.     The  desire  of  accu- 


TEMPTATIONS  OF  THE  YOUNG.       225 

mulating  wealth,  which  is  so  natural  to  age,  is 
likely  to  be  most  powerful  in  him,  who  in  his  youth 
was  profuse  and  extravagant.  That  querulousness 
and  discontent,  which,  in  age,  are  sometimes  the 
attendants  of  real  infirmities,  are  not  less  fre- 
quently found  to  be  the  punishment  of  the  ex- 
cesses of  early  life,  spent  too  carelessly  and  ex- 
hausted too  soon.  Those  ill  humors,  which  we 
kindly  excuse  by  calling  them  natural  to  particular 
seasons  of  life,  are  usually  the  dregs  of  former 
indulgences.  The  follies  of  the  young  are  some- 
times amiable  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  ;  but  it  is 
the  punishment  of  amiable  sins,  to  lose  in  after 
life  all  their  charms,  and  to  be  the  more  odious 
the  older  they  appear. 

Entering  then  into  life,  you  will  find  every  rank 
and  occupation  environed  with  its  peculiar  temp- 
tations, and  without  some  other  and  higher  prin- 
ciple than  that  which  influences  a  merely  worldly 
man,  you  are  not  a  moment  secure.  You  are 
poor,  and  you  think  pleasure  and  fashion  and  am- 
bition will  disdain  to  spread  their  snares  for  so 
ignoble  a  prey.  It  is  true  they  may.  But  take 
care  that  dishonesty  does  not  dazzle  you  with  an 
exhibition  of  sudden  gains.  Take  care  that  want 
does  not  disturb  your  imagination  by  temptations 
to  fraud.  Distress  may  drive  you  to  indolence 
and  despair,  and  these  united  may  drown  you  in 
intemperance.  Even  robbery  and  murder  have 
sometimes  stalked  in  at  the  breach,  which  poverty 
or  calamity  has  left  unguarded.  You  are  rich, 
29 


226  SERMON  XIV. 

and  you  think  that  pride  and  a  just  sense  of  repu- 
tation will  preserve  you  from  the  vices  of  the  vul- 
gar. It  is  true  they  may ;  and  you  may  be  ruined 
in  the  progress  of  luxury,  and  lost  to  society  and 
at  last  to  God,  while  sleeping  in  the  lap  of  the 
most  flattering  and  enervating  abundance.  Let 
the  prayer  of  Agur  be  included  in  the  petition  of 
our  text.  '  Lead  me  not,  O  God,  into  temptation 
by  giving  me  either  poverty  or  riches ;  but  feed 
me  with  food  convenient  for  me,  lest  I  be  full  and 
deny  thee,  and  say,  Who  is  the  Lord,  or  lest  I  be 
poor  and  steal,  and  take  the  name  of  my  God  in 
vain.' 

Again ;  you  are  educated  for  a  sedentary  and 
contemplative  life.  You  expect  to  know  little  of 
the  manners  of  the  age,  and  to  look  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance upon  the  vices  and  seductions  of  the  world. 
To  avoid  temptation  by  flying  to  solitude  has  been 
a  perpetual  delusion  of  studious  minds.  This  is 
the  principle  upon  which  the  monastic  institutions 
of  many  religions  have  been  founded  ;  institutions, 
which,  as  has  been  acutely  observed,  have  been 
supported  rather  by  the  fear  of  vice,  than  the  love 
of  virtue.  But  do  not  flatter  yourselves  that  re- 
tirement has  no  dangers.  The  very  security  from 
temptation,  which  the  recluse  imagines  himself  to 
enjoy,  is  itself  a  temptation. 

A  life  of  study  also  tends  insensibly  to  foster  a 
species  of  intellectual  selfishness,  which  a  more 
liberal  intercourse  with  mankind  would  replace 
with  more  valuable,  though  perhaps  less   extraor- 


TEMPTATIONS  OF  THE  YOUNG.  227 

dinary,  dispositions.  In  solitude  the  benevolent 
feelings  cannot  attain  their  full  growth;  a  proud 
misanthropy  is  indulged,  and  a  man  may  imagine 
himself  too  pure  or  too  intellectual  for  society, 
when  he  is  only  too  proud. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  enumerate  even  a  small 
part  of  the  temptations,  which  await  you  in  the 
active  pursuits  of  life.  I  only  know  that  you  will 
sometimes  find  yourselves  in  exigences,  where 
contending  passions  will  beat  against  your  sternest 
principles.  I  hope  they  will  be  founded  upon  the 
rock  of  the  gospel.  You  will  find,  here,  sudden 
prospects  of  gain  opening  upon  your  fancy,  and 
obscuring  your  clear  perception  of  justice.  There, 
secrecy  and  silence  will  encourage  you  to  voluptu- 
ousness. Conviviality,  good  fellowship,  and  the 
exhilarating  influence  of  society,  will  steal  away 
your  time,  and  perhaps  tempt  you  to  the  intempe- 
rate use  of  sinful  pleasures.  If,  in  the  language 
of  the  world,  you  are  so  happy  as  to  please,  and 
to  be  taken  up  by  those  who  control  much  of  the 
amusements  and  pleasures  of  the  day,  fashion  will 
betray  you  into  a  thousand  senseless  extravagan- 
ces, and  what  I  fear  more,  will  surely  repress 
many  a  noble  quality,  too  exalted  for  the  standard 
of  the  day.  But,  my  friends,  when  I  think  of  the 
insensible  force  of  general  example  in  every  rank 
and  employment  of  life,  I  fear  that  you  may  be 
fashioned  only  for  this  world.  There  is  a  perpetual 
and  unobserved  influence  of  custom,  to  which,  as 
soon  as  we  rise  in  the  world,  we  all  unconsciouslv 


228  SERMON  XIV. 

bend,  like  young  plants  which  have  been  grow- 
ing up  straight,  while  they  were  low  and  secluded, 
as  soon  as  they  reach  the  height  where  the  light 
is  admitted  from  without,  they  bend  all  their 
leaves  and  branches  insensibly  toward  the  part 
where  there  is  the  strongest  glare.  The  influence 
of  popular  manners  conceals  from  us  our  follies 
and  our  vices  among  those  of  the  world.  My 
friends,  the  vigilance  which  alone  can  preserve 
you,  must  be  unwearied.  The  contest  may  be 
severe,  but  the  victory  will  be  glorious,  and  the 
reward  will  be  eternal. 

III.  But  to  portray  dangers,  without  consi- 
dering how  you  may  guard  against  them,  would 
be  not  only  useless,  but  unfavorable  to  your  secu- 
rity. Let  me  then,  thirdly,  suggest  some  conside- 
rations, which  will  always  come  to  the  relief  of  our 
sinking  or  fluctuating  minds,  when  they  are  the 
prey  of  strong  temptation.  Previously,  however, 
let  me  beseech  you  to  remember,  that  the  aid  of 
God's  spirit  is  promised  to  every  holy  resolution 
and  to  every  sincere  exertion.  It  is  not  less  phi- 
losophically than  theologically  true,  that  no  effort 
in  the  cause  of  goodness  is  ultimately  lost.  God 
never  paralysed  an  arm  raised  in  the  cause  of  vir- 
tue. 

The  first  and  strongest  motive  which  I  can  offer 
you  to  resist  early  the  temptations  of  sin,  is,  the 
consequences  of  a  single  victory  or  a  single  defeat. 
The  life  of  man  is  a  campaign,  the  result  of  which 
sometimes  depends  upon   the   first  battles.     And 


TEMPTATIONS  OF  THE  YOUNG.  229 

need  I  tell  you,  Christians,  that  the  consequences 
of  your  youthful  conduct,  extend  through  a  series 
of  ages,  which  the  imagination  even,  cannot  reach  ? 
If  death  were  really  to  close  your  expectations 
forever,  you  might  take  the  gay  delights  of  the 
Epicurean.  You  might  eat  and  drink,  for  tomorrow 
you  would  die.  You  might  float  pleasantly  down 
the  stream  of  time,  lying  on  your  oars,  and  laugh- 
ing at  those  who  were  laboring  against  the  tide. 
But,  my  friends,  when  I  look  forward  only  a  few 
years,  I  see  you  in  the  immediate  presence  of  that 
Power  who  has  given  us  a  being,  which  he  has 
told  us  we  can  never  abdicate.  You  may  die  ;  but 
you  die  to  live  again,  and  to  tell  how  you  have 
lived.  It  will  not  be  enough  to  say  that  thousands 
have  run  the  short  career  of  ruin  before  you. 
They  will  rise  up  from  their  sleep  of  the  tomb  to 
accuse  you  of  having  followed  them.  We  have  a 
great  trust  deposited  in  our  hands.  It  is  no  less 
than  the  gift  of  eternal  life,  and  we  are  to  account 
for  it ;  even  if  nature  were  to  perish,  we  must 
account  for  it. 

Consider  also  the  honor  of  a  faithful  resistance 
to  the  temptations  of  the  world.  Your  struggles 
are  secret,  they  are  unknown  to  the  world,  and 
therefore  the  world  cannot  reward  you.  Or  if  it 
should  reward  you,  you  will  find  its  loudest  ap- 
plauses dying  away  at  last  upon  your  ear,  and  the 
still  small  voice  of  God's  approbation  shall  be 
sweeter  than  the  music  of  the  spheres. 


230  SERMON  XIV. 

Again  ;  look  steadily  at  the  character  of  a  man 
of  established  virtue  and  christian  excellence. 
How  noble  a  creature  is  he  in  God's  creation ! 
lord  of  himself,  though  destitute  of  everything. 
Sin  has  no  dominion  over  him.  The  world  rever- 
ences, but  cannot  reward  him.  Observe  him  with 
attention.  If  his  foot  sometimes  slip,  he  falls  to 
rise  again.  Passion  may  sometimes  surprise  an 
unguarded  fortress,  but  the  citadel  is  safe  ;  the 
soul  is  strong  in  faith,  and  in  devout  reliance  on 
the  succor  of  Heaven.  The  food  which  nourishes 
him  descends  from  above,  and  the  supply  cannot 
be  shut  out  by  the  world. 

My  young  friends,  I  would  direct  your  attention 
to  the  character  of  your  Saviour,  and  beg  of  you 
to  study  it  till  you  love  it  and  dare  to  imitate  it. 
We  soon  search  after  great  examples  to  encourage 
us  in  this  folly  and  that  vice,  fond  of  resembling 
the  great,  if  it  be  only  in  their  defects,  and  sinning 
with  less  compunction,  if  we  can  only  sin  in  com- 
pany. Look  at  the  Son  of  God,  who  was  just  en- 
tering, like  yourselves,  a  hostile  world,  inexperi- 
enced and  without  a  friend.  Scarcely  had  he 
commenced  the  great  business  of  his  life,  the  du- 
ties of  his  ministry,  before,  as  a  preparation  for  it, 
he  underwent  the  severest  discipline.  In  whatever 
way  we  interpret  the  history  of  our  Saviour's 
temptation,  it  cannot  be  understood  otherwise, 
than  as  presenting  a  severe  and  distressing  trial  of 
his  mind.     He  had  early  to  struggle,  then,  with 


TEMPTATIONS  OF  THE  YOUNG.       231 

the  temptations  of  interest  and  vanity  and  ambi- 
tion, but  the  tempter  was  in  each  of  his  plans  de- 
feated. 

At  another  period  of  his  life,  you  will  find  him 
invited  to  assume  an  unlawful  power,  and  fully 
able  to  avail  himself  of  the  enthusiasm  of  the  mul- 
titude, and  to  be  crowned  king  of  the  Jews.  But 
rejecting  every  allurement  which  might  divert  him 
for  any  season  from  the  proper  business  of  his 
ministry,  he  retires  alone  to  a  desert  place,  casting 
aside  those  honors,  which  have  in  every  age 
tempted  the  ambition  of  his  less  humble  followers. 

Do  not  be  contented,  my  young  friends,  to  read 
and  admire  what  you  may  imitate.  The  example, 
even  of  the  Son  of  God,  from  his  cradle  to  his 
grave,  is  transmitted  to  us  that  we  may  imitate  it. 

The  last  resource  against  temptation  is  prayer. 
Escaping,  then,  from  your  tempter,  fly  to  God. 
Cultivate  the  habit  of  devotion.  It  shall  be  a  wall 
of  fire  around  you,  and  your  glory  in  the  midst  of 
of  you.  To  this  practice  the  uncorrupted  senti- 
ments of  the  heart  impel  you,  and  invitations  are 
as  numerous  as  they  are  merciful,  to  encourage 
you.  When  danger  has  threatened  your  life,  you 
have  called  upon  God.  When  disease  has  wasted 
your  health  and  you  have  felt  the  tomb  opening 
under  your  feet,  you  have  called  upon  God.  When 
you  have  apprehended  heavy  misfortunes  or  en- 
gaged in  hazardous  enterprises,  you  have  perhaps 
resorted  to  God,  to  ask  his  blessing.  But  what 
arc   all  these  dangers  to  the  danger  which  your 


232  SERMON  XIV. 

virtue  may  be  called  to  encounter  on  your  first  en- 
trance into  life  ?  In  habitual  prayer,  you  will  find 
a  safeguard.  You  will  find  every  good  resolution 
fortified  by  it,  and  every  seduction  losing  its  pow- 
er, when  seen  in  the  new  light  which  a  short  com- 
munion with  Heaven  affords.  In  prayer  you  will 
find  that  a  state  of  mind  is  generated  which  will 
shed  a  holy  influence  over  the  whole  character ; 
and  those  temptations,  to  which  you  were  just 
yielding,  will  vanish  with  all  their  allurements, 
when  the  daystar  of  devotion  rises  in  your  hearts. 
With  this  view,  our  Saviour  has  inserted  the 
petition  in  the  text,  '  lead  us  not  into  temptation.' 
Let  us  dwell  upon  it  in  every  prayer.  If,  in  the 
words  of  a  pious  man,  '  sinning  has  not  made  us 
leave  off  praying,  praying  will  make  us  leave  off 
sinning.'  Watch,  then,  my  young  friends,  and 
pray,  that  you  enter  not  into  temptation. 


SERMON   XV. 


SINCERITY. 


1  Corinthians,  V.  8. 

BUT    WITH    THE    UNLEAVENED    BREAD    OF    SINCERITY    AND    TRUTH 

The  apostle  appears  here  to  be  giving  direc- 
tions as  to  the  mode  of  observing  the  communion. 
In  imitation  of  the  feast  of  passover,  before  which 
the  Jews  were  required  to  remove  all  leaven  out 
of  their  houses,  and  eat  the  festival  with  unleav- 
ened bread,  the  apostle  exhorts  the  Corinthians  to 
observe  the  distinguishing  rite  of  their  religion, 
which  commemorates  their  deliverance  from  sin 
and  death  by  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  with  the  un- 
leavened bread  of  sincerity  and  truth.  This  in- 
junction, which  is  here  particularly  applied  to  the 
celebration  of  the  supper,  it  is  my  intention  to 
consider  in  its  importance  to  the  whole  character 
of  a  Christian  ;  for  he  who  has  come  forward  to 
this  characteristic  ceremony  hypocritically  or  in 
the  spirit  of  imposition,  cannot  be  supposed  to 
be  more  sincere  in  the  rest  of  his  conduct. 
30 


234  SERMON  XV. 

Sincerity  is  a  word  which  is  often  used  in  an 
indeterminate  and  unsatisfactory  manner,  so  that 
we  often  hear  men  called  sincere  who  have  no 
other  quality  in  the  world  to  recommend  them.  A 
man  may  be  sincerely  impious,  or  sincerely  intole- 
rant. He  may  be  following  his  judgment,  and 
even  his  conscience,  when  he  is  offending  against 
the  laws  of  God  and  man.  In  the  common  sense 
of  the  word  as  it  is  opposed  merely  to  dissimula- 
tion, the  quality  is  negative,  indifferent,  not  much 
to  be  desired,  and  sometimes  dangerous.  When 
it  is  applied,  however,  to  religion,  it  is  used  in  a 
good  sense,  and  usually  includes  the  idea  of  un- 
qualified and  hearty  devotion  to  the  will  of  God. 
Still,  even  when  used  with  reference  to  reli- 
gion, it  is  sometimes  made  a  convenient  substitute 
for  some  more  specific  description  of  men's  char- 
acter and  motives,  and  we  are  glad  to  avoid  a 
close  scrutiny  of  the  justice  of  the  opinions  or 
conduct  of  ourselves  or  others,  by  saying,  when 
•we  can  say  nothing  else,  that  they  are  sincere. 

Thus  it  happens  that  when  the  subject  of  reli- 
gious opinions  is  discussed,  and  some  one  is  found 
who  deviates  from  the  common  standard,  and  ques- 
tion is  made  of  his  correctness,  the  conclusion  of- 
ten heard  is,  '  He  may  be  erroneous  but  he  gives 
proof  of  his  sincerity.'  When  the  principle  on 
which  a  man  acts  is  canvassed,  and  doubts  are 
raised  of  the  religious  or  moral  character  of  an- 
other, and  some  are  proposing  one  test  of  char- 
acter and  some  another,  the  inquiry  is  usually  ter- 


SINCERITY.  235 

minuted  by  saying,  'Though  he  may  be  imperfect 
or  mistaken,  yet  we  have  reason  to  think  him  sin- 
cere.' 

A  word  of  such  common  and  convenient  appli- 
cation, deserves  to  be  thoroughly  understood  and 
cautiously  used.  Especially  in  our  examination  of 
ourselves  as  well  as  of  others,  it  is  of  importance 
that  we  know  what  it  is  we  pretend  to,  when  we 
lay  claim  to  sincerity. 

In  this  discourse  it  will  be  my  object  to  ascer- 
tain what  is  implied  in  the  character  of  religious 
sincerity ;  and  in  doing  this,  I  shall  first  consider 
with  what  imperfections  sincerity  is  consistent,  and 
in  the  next  place  endeavour  to  point  out  some  of 
the  most  sure  and  indispensable  tests  of  this  qual- 
ity. 

1.1.  In  the  first  place,  then,  sincerity  is  not  in- 
consistent with  some  degree  of  prejudice.  Such  is 
the  constitution  of  human  nature  and  the  circum- 
stances of  our  education,  that  the  best  of  men  find 
it  impossible  to  grow  up  without  receiving  many 
prejudices  against  individuals  or  descriptions  of 
men,  as  well  as  against  opinions,  which  greater 
age  and  further  information  are  necessary  to  cor- 
rect. Thus  we  find  in  the  evangelists  that  the  ex- 
cellent Nathaniel,  when  he  is  first  informed  of  the 
origin  of  Jesus  to  whom  he  is  introduced,  cries  out, 
in  the  true  spirit  of  a  Jew  of  that  age,  Can  any 
good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?  This  appears 
to  us  a  most  absurd  and  unworthy  prepossession  ; 
yet  it  did   not  prevent  our   Saviour's  immediately 


236  SERMON  XV. 

giving  this  very  Nathaniel  that  memorable  char- 
acter, 'Behold  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  is 
no  guile.'  This  instance  in  the  evangelical  nar- 
rative, should  teach  us  candor  in  our  judgments 
of  men,  and  encourage  us  to  make  every  allowance 
for  inevitable  prejudice,  where  it  is  not  obstinate- 
ly and  unjustly  cherished.  The  true  difference 
between  a  sincere  and  insincere  opinionist,  is  this; 
that  the  former,  though  he  is  not  free  from  unfor- 
tunate biases,  is  yet  willing  to  be  free  from  them. 
He  neither  flies  from  conviction,  nor  does  he  close 
his  eyes  against  evidence.  He  is  a  friend  per- 
haps of  particular  men,  or  attached  to  particular 
opinions  ;  but  he  is  neither  afraid  of  the  progress  of 
truth,  nor  does  he  place  impediments  in  the  way 
of  examination.  The  insincere  bigot,  on  the  con- 
trary, stifles  his  convictions  and  perverts  testimo- 
ny. He  is  angry  when  he  is  found  in  the  wrong, 
and  dissembles  when  he  is  really  convinced  of  his 
error.  His  prejudices  are  personal,  and  his  views 
are  selfish  and  malignant.  Not  so  the  guileless 
Nathaniel,  for  he  came  at  the  invitation  of  Jesus, 
saw,  and  was  convinced. 

2.  Again ;  religious  sincerity  is  not  inconsistent 
with  considerable  ignorance.  The  whole  history 
of  pious  men  bears  witness  to  and  illustrates  the 
all-comprehensive  nature  of  true  religion.  We 
find  in  the  gospels,  that  the  apostles,  who  were 
most  sincerely  attached  to  their  Master  during  his 
life,  were  yet  ignorant  of  his  real  character  till  af- 
ter his  resurrection.     They  could  not  be  persuad- 


SINCERITY.  j. ;-, 

ed  that  he  was  to  suffer,  and  even  after  he  had  suf- 
fered, their  minds  were  full  of  his  royal  character, 
and  they  were  expecting  to  sec  him  restore  the 
kingdom  to  Israel.  Before  the  vision  granted  to 
Peter,  the  disciples  had  no  suspicion  that  the  favor 
of  God  was  to  be  extended  to  the  Gentiles;  and 
if  we  may  judge  from  the  language  of  some  of 
them  in  their  epistles,  they  seem  to  have  expected 
the  end  of  the  world  during  their  own  lives,  and 
the  return  of  Christ  from  heaven.  Now,  whoever 
will  consider  the  importance  of  these  facts  and 
doctrines,  such  as  the  suffering  of  Christ,  his  real 
character  as  Messiah,  the  comprehension  and  ex- 
tension of  his  church,  and  the  time  of  his  second 
advent,  must  acknowledge  that  they  were  subjects 
of  what  we  should  call  fundamental  importance  in 
the  christian  dispensation.  If,  then,  the  early  dis- 
ciples could  remain  under  such  gross  misappre- 
hensions on  these  subjects,  and  yet  be  regarded  as 
the  sincere  followers  and  friends  of  Christ,  it  is 
surely  too  presumptuous  in  us  to  say  of  one  an- 
other, that  a  denial  of  this  or  that  tenet,  which  to 
us  appears  plainly  revealed,  is  yet  inconsistent  with 
another  man's  religious  sincerity,  or  a  state  of  ac- 
ceptance with  God.  It  may  be  that  unity  of  sen- 
timent as  far  as  some  would  wish  to  carry  it,  has 
become  necessary  to  unity  of  affection ;  but  we 
ought  to  inquire  whether  we  arc  not  wrong  in  har- 
boring that  temper  of  mind,  which  makes  this  uni- 
ty of  opinion  necessary  to  christian  affection.  You 
perhaps   have    attained    to    certain    fundamental 


238 


SERMON  XV. 


principles  of  christian  belief,  which  appear  to  you 
so  clear,  that  you  are  astonished  how  any  one  who 
reads  the  scriptures  can  for  a  moment  doubt  them. 
You  are  conscious  of  your  own  sincerity,  and  it  is 
enough  ;  and  therefore  it  is  natural  for  you  to 
conclude  that  he  who  does  not  think  like  yourself 
cannot  be  sincere.  But  let  us  remember  that 
when  we  once  begin  to  make  that  a  test  of  others' 
sincerity  which  we  know  would  have  been  of  out- 
own,  we  go  beyond  our  christian  liberty  ;  for  no 
one  but  God  has  a  right  to  say  what  is  fundamental 
to  any  individual,  or  what  extravagances  or  er- 
rors may  coexist  with  humility  and  honesty  of 
mind. 

3.  Religious  sincerity  is  not  inconsistent  with 
occasional  lapses,  or  considerable  infirmities. 
There  is  no  man  upon  earth  who  doth  good  and 
sinneth  not ;  and  if  God  should  be  strict  to  mark 
iniquity  even  in  the  most  sincere,  who  could  stand 
before  him  ?  Thus  it  may  happen  that  the  most 
devout  Christian  may  find  his  affections  sometimes 
languid  and  his  thoughts  sometimes  wandering ; 
but  if  this  were  the  habitual  state  of  his  mind  in 
prayer,  he  would  have  reason  to  be  alarmed,  and 
we  should  doubt  his  sincerity.  The  meek  may 
sometimes  be  betrayed  into  passion,  and  the 
temperate  into  excessive  indulgence  ;  but  the  proof 
of  his  insincerity  in  such  cases  would  be,  not  that 
he  fell  into  the  sin,  but  that  he  fell  into  it  without 
remorse,  or  exposed  himself  again  without  pre- 
caution.    There  are  some  faults  to  which  the  most 


SINCERITY.  039 

ardent  and  open  dispositions  are  peculiarly  expos- 
ed, and  there  are  others  of  the  habitual  temper 
which  never  appear  in  the  ordinary  and  public  de- 
portment. If,  then,  you  would  know  what  faults  of 
your  character  may  excite  a  doubt  of  the  sincerity 
of  your  religious  professions,  be  assured  that  your 
sudden  infirmities  of  temper  are  not  half  so  sure 
a  test  of  your  religion,  as  what  may  be  called  your 
ruling  passion  and  tenor  of  life. 

4.  Religious  sincerity  is  not  inconsistent  with 
a  man's  doubts  of  his  religious  sincerity,  or  with  a 
great  degree  of  diffidence  and  concern.  It  is  true 
that  every  man  must  know  whether  the  regard 
which  he  pays  to  God  and  to  his  duty  is  affected 
or  real.  He  must  know  whether  his  religious 
services  are  paid  to  God  or  to  the  world,  and 
whether  his  conduct  is  only  an  outside  show  of 
conformity  to  virtue,  or  proceeds  from  a  firm  prin- 
ciple of  rectitude  within.  This  knowledge,  how- 
ever, of  his  own  spirit,  is  consistent  with  the  most 
humble  and  fearful  sense  of  imperfection,  and 
with  frequent  depression  and  despondency.  '  The 
heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things  and  desperately 
wicked  ;  who  can  know  it'  ?  By  this  is  not  meant, 
we  conceive,  that  a  Christian  cannot  judge  of  the 
sincerity  of  his  own  professions  or  of  the  state  of 
his  own  determinations  at  the  time  when  he  con- 
siders, but  only  that  such  is  the  weakness  of  hu- 
man virtue,  and  such  the  liableness  of  man  to 
conceal  from  himself  his  real  character,  that  no 
man  can  at  any   time   feel   secure   of  his   future 


24,0  SERMON  XV. 

happiness.  It  is  equivalent  to  the  assertion  that 
no  man  can  say,  I  am  sure  of  not  being  betrayed 
into  any  future  transgression. 

The  doctrine  of  confidence  has  often  been  in- 
sisted on  most  unadvisedly  and  unjustly,  by  some 
who  make  it  an  essential  test  of  a  christian  charac- 
ter. As  far  as  we  may  be  allowed  to  judge,  that 
kind  of  security  and  inward  testimony  of  faith,  to 
which  some  Christians  have  laid  claim,  is  not 
consistent  with  that  temper  of  fearing  always, 
which  is  made  a  scriptural  characteristic  of  a  good 
man.  Neither  is  it  consistent  with  those  expres- 
sions of  the  apostle  Paul,  who  surely  could  have 
had  no  doubts  of  his  own  sincerity,  where  he  says, 
Neither  count  I  myself  to  have  apprehended ;  but 
this  one  thing  I  do,  forgetting  those  things  which 
are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things 
which  are  before,  I  press  toward  the  mark  for  the 
prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 

May  we  not  conclude,  then,  that  a  consciousness 
of  sincerity  in  the  service  of  God,  is  something 
entirely  different  from  that  assurance  of  salvation, 
and  that  confidence  of  God's  favor,  to  which  some 
Christians  have  aspired  ?  That  mixture  of  humili- 
ty which  belongs  to  real  religion,  is  a  mixture  of 
fear ;  and  it  never  was  intended  that  any  convic- 
tion of  our  religious  sincerity  should  entirely  sub- 
due it,  because  no  man  can  ever  be  sure  that  he 
shall  not  fall  from  his  present  steadfastness,  nor  can 
any  man  look  back  with  unmingled  satisfaction  on 
his  christian  character. 


SINCERITY.  241 

II.  I  have  now  mentioned  several  imperfections 
with  which  religious  sincerity  may  be  united.  I 
proceed  to  the  second  head  of  my  discourse,  which 
is  to  give  you  some  of  the  most  essential  marks  or 
tests  of  this  temper.  My  christian  friends,  this 
is  a  subject  of  primary  importance  in  religion. 
Without  sincerity  our  obedience  is  sin  ;  without 
sincerity  our  religion  is  but  vanity  and  guilt.  We 
cannot  deceive  God  ;  we  may  deceive,  perhaps  we 
have  deceived  ourselves.  Examine  yourselves, 
then,  whether  you  be  in  the  faith ;  prove  your 
own  souls. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  you  have  great  reason  to 
doubt  of  your  religious  sincerity  if  you  make  no 
progress  in  holiness.  Every  principle  of  real  vir- 
tue is  an  active  and  a  progressive  principle.  It 
cannot  leave  a  man  satisfied  with  his  present  at- 
tainments;  and  if  you  have  ever  found  yourselves 
long  stationary  in  your  religious  characters,  the 
probability  is  that  you  have  been  retrograding. 
The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light,  shining 
more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day.  He  who 
carefully  examines  himself,  cannot  avoid  discovering 
his  imperfections,  and  he  who  is  afraid  to  discover 
or  negligent  in  the  search,  has  no  sincere  disposi- 
tion to  correct  them.  Whatever  you  may  choose 
to  call  the  ruling  principle  of  a  religious  life, 
whether  the  fear  or  the  love  of  God,  whether  it 
be  gratitude,  or  humility,  or  ambition  of  intellec- 
tual improvement,  all,  all  urge  us  forward  to  great- 
er attainments.  Is  it  love  ?  Real  love  is  never 
31 


242  SERMON  XV. 

tired  with  pleasing  its  object,  never  at  ease  when 
it  has  suspicion  of  offending  it.  Is  it  gratitude  ? 
Gratitude  never  thinks  it  has  done  enough.  Hu- 
mility never  feels  itself  secure,  and  the  love  of  the 
intellectual  always  grasps  at  something  higher.  If 
then,  my  friends,  you  find  in  yourselves  a  disposi- 
tion to  circumscribe  the  limits  of  your  duty,  if  you 
find  that  you  endeavour  to  steal  as  much  as  you  can 
from  your  obligations,  and  give  as  much  as  you 
can  well  spare  to  the  world  and  its  pleasures,  if 
you  are  continually  comparing  yourselves  with 
others,  and  think  you  have  done  enough  when  you 
have  done  more  than  they,  you  have  great  reason 
to  doubt  the  sincerity  of  your  religion. 

2.  In  the  second  place,  if  your  most  secret  and 
private  actions  are  not  as  pure  and  correct  as  your 
public  deportment,  you  have  no  claim  to  the  praise 
of  religious  sincerity.  I  ask  you,  then,  if  your  in- 
tercourse with  God  in  private  is  devout ;  or  if 
your  public  reverence  of  religious  institutions  is 
only  the  result  of  your  deference  to  the  habits  of 
the  community  ?  I  ask  you  if  you  prefer  to  give 
your  alms  in  private,  when  no  eye  but  God's  dis- 
cerns it,  to  giving  them  in  public,  where  spectators 
will  allow  you  the  credit  of  the  alms  ;  or  whether 
you  are  not  uneasy,  till,  by  your  own  or  others' 
means,  your  benefactions  are  known  ?  I  ask  you 
if,  in  your  most  trivial  negotiations,  you  are  as  scru- 
pulous and  honest  as  in  your  large  and  notorious 
transactions  ;  whether  the  absolute  security  from 
detection  would  not  tempt  you  into  anything  like 


SINCERITY.  243 

injustice  ?  I  ask  you  if  your  conduct  in  your 
families  and  with  those  over  whom  you  have  con- 
trol or  with  whom  you  are  intimate,  is  as  careful- 
ly regulated  by  the  laws  of  christian  benevolence 
as  you  would  lead  us  to  believe  from  your  public 
conduct;  or  are  you  a  Christian  in  church  and  a 
tyrant  at  home  ?  In  short,  is  your  religion  a  spirit 
which  animates  you,  and  which  gives  peace  to 
your  heart,  and  not  a  countenance  which  you  as- 
sume? Would  it  be  the  guide  of  your  life  if  there 
were  no  one  to  observe  you  but  Him  who  seeth 
not  as  man  seeth  ? 

3.  Is  your  obedience  universal  and  unlimited  ? 
This  is  a  most  essential  test  of  religious  sincerity. 
Do  you  make  no  exceptions  in  favor  of  particular 
vices,  and  continue  to  live  in  some  habits  which 
your  conscience  tells  you  are  not  precisely  right  ? 
The  meaning  of  that  passage  in  James,  '  Whoso- 
ever shall  keep  the  whole  law  and  yet  offend  in 
ore  point,  he  is  guilty  of  all,'  includes  this  test  of 
religious  obedience.  Why  guilty  of  all  ?  Because, 
if  he  deliberately  and  habitually  makes  an  excep- 
tion in  favor  of  some  passion,  lust,  or  habit,  he 
discovers  that  he  really  has  no  sincere  respect 
for  the  authority  which  establishes  the  whole 
law. 

There  are  several  cases  in  human  life  which 
may  illustrate  the  nature  of  the  principle  of  reli- 
gious obedience.  What  should  we,  for  instance, 
think  of  the  sincerity  of  that  man's  friendship,  who 
should  make  all  the  professions  of  attachment,  and 


244  SERMON  XV. 

appear  through  the  greater  part  of  his  life  devoted 
to  his  friend,  who  should  yet  deliberately  desert 
him  in  his  time  of  need,  or  betray,  when  tempted, 
one  only  of  his  most  important  secrets  ?  Thus  no 
course  of  religious  obedience  has  any  claim  to  the 
praise  of  sincerity,  which  is  not  unlimited  and 
without  reserve.  A  religious  man  will  not  say,  ;  I 
am  not  guilty  of  this  or  of  that  offence,  but  I  hope 
God  will  pardon  me  for  a  particular  habit,  which 
I  find  it  difficult  to  relinquish.'  Neither  will  he 
say,  '  I  am  sensible  of  the  guilt  of  a  particular 
course  of  conduct,  and  if  God  spares  my  life  I  will 
break  off  at  such  a  future  time.'  Oh  no  !  my  dear 
friends,  this  is  the  most  horrible  hypocrisy.  It  is 
such  trifling  as  nothing  can  atone  for.  The  man 
of  this  partial  obedience,  and  the  man  who  is  con- 
tinually deferring  the  day  of  his  repentance,  is  yet 
in  the  gall  of  wickedness  and  the  bond  of  iniquity. 
Lastly  ;  what  appears  to  you  the  governing  mo- 
tive of  your  conduct  ?  In  those  portions  of  your 
character,  in  which  your  zeal  is  most  engaged  and 
your  exertions  most  strenuous,  what  is  your  object  ? 
the  promotion  of  your  own  interests  and  the  in- 
terests of  your  party,  or  the  benefit  of  mankind, 
the  glory  of  God  and  the  cause  of  virtue?  How 
far  is  your  sense  of  your  duty  to  God  predomi- 
nant in  your  life  ?  Does  it  lead  you  to  sacrifice 
your  property  and  your  reputation  and  whatever 
you  hold  most  dear,  where  you  are  most  evidently 
pledged,  or  have  you  contrived  to  conceal  even 
from  yourself  the  real  motives  of  your  behaviour, 


SINCERITY.  245 

and  to  avail  yourself  of  the  name  of  religion  and 
of  God's  honor,  when  you  have  nothing  of  them 
but  the  name?  In  short,  is  not  your  reverence  for 
God.  your  sense  of  religious  obligation,  affected 
by  the  changes  of  the  age  and  the  character  of 
your  cotemporaries?  Are  you  on  the  Lord's  side, 
even  if  you  stand  alone  ? 

My  friends,  this  subject  of  sincerity  is  of  infinite 
importance  to  us.  It  is  the  foundation,  the  grand 
preliminary  of  a  religious  character.  It  is  indis- 
pensable to  the  acceptance  of  any  of  our  services. 
Without  it  our  religion  is  our  condemnation,  our 
observances  and  rites  are  the  records  of  our  sin. 
Without  this,  it  is  impossible  to  have  any  satisfac- 
tion in  duty  ;  religion  will  be  our  burden,  God  our 
terror,  our  consciences  our  stings,  and  death  will 
overwhelm  us  with  inconceivable  dismay.  With 
this  only  can  wre  assure  our  hearts  before  God. 
For  if  our  hearts  condemn  us,  God  is  greater  than 
our  hearts  and  knoweth  all  things.  But,  beloved, 
if  our  hearts  condemn  us  not,  then  have  we  confi- 
dence toward  God.  God  is  greater  than  our 
hearts  and  knoweth  all  things. 

My  christian  friends,  especially  you  who  are  now 
to  sit  down  at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  grace  be 
with  you  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sin- 
cerity. This,  this  is  that  wedding  garment  with- 
out which  you  cannot  be  welcome,  without  which, 
indeed,  you  cannot  enjoy  the  feast.  Your  sincerity 
here  you  must  test  by  the  disposition  with  which 
you  celebrate  the  supper.     Have  you  a  sense  of 


246  SERMON   XV. 

the  reason  for  which  it  was  instituted,  and  do 
you  observe  it  because  Christ  has  instituted  it  ? 
Do  no  unworthy  motives  mingle  with  your  con- 
duct ?  Does  this  regard  for  Christ's  authority 
pacify  your  minds,  and  give  you  a  happy  satisfac- 
tion in  the  discharge  of  this  duty,  which  the  opin- 
ion of  the  world  does  not  interrupt?  Do  you 
cherish  no  secret  inclinations  to  dispense  with  the 
rite,  or  take  to  yourselves  no  peculiar  merit  in 
the  performance  ?  Are  you  sensible  of  that  good- 
ness and  greatness  which  you  commemorate,  and 
do  you  seek  for  those  benefits  and  no  others  which 
this  rite  is  calculated  to  give  ?  Have  you  a  sense 
of  the  mercy  of  God  in  the  scheme  of  human  re- 
demption, and  are  you  sincere  in  your  dispositions 
of  love  toward  your  fellow  Christians  ?  If  so,  come 
forward  in  full  assurance  of  faith,  rejoicing  in 
the  testimony  of  your  conscience  that  in  simplicity 
and  godly  sincerity  and  not  with  fleshly  wisdom, 
you  keep  the  feast.  Draw  near  with  a  true  heart 
arid  without  dissimulation. 


SERMON   XVI 


THE  PECULIAR  BLESSINGS  OF  OUR  SOCIAL  CONDITION  AS 
AMERICAN  CITIZENS. 


Mark,  V.   19. 

GO    HOME    TO    THY    FRIENDS,    AND    TELL    THEM    HOW    GREAT    THINGS 
THE    LORD    HATH    DONE    FOR    THEE  . 

The  poor  man  to  whom  this  was  said,  had  been 
cured  by  Jesus  of  a  most  fearful  disorder,  and  so 
affected  was  he  with  gratitude,  that  he  instantly 
resolved  to  attach  himself  to  his  benefactor,  and 
spend  with  him  the  remainder  of  his  life.  '  No,' 
said  our  Lord,  '  rather  go  home  to  thy  family  and 
friends  in  Decapolis,  and  tell  them  what  great 
things  God  hath  done  for  thee.'  We  are  told  that 
he  obeyed,  and  began  to  proclaim  openly  in  his 
native  country,  and  among  his  domestic  friends, 
the  compassion  and  kindness  of  Jesus. 

I  wish,  at  this  time,  my  friends,  to  call  your  at- 
tention, not  so  much  to  our  public  advantages,  as 
to  our  private,  personal,  and  social  blessings.  If 
we  would  awaken  our  sensibility  to  the  innumera- 
ble blessings  of  our  condition,  we  must  not  take  too 
wide  a   range  ;  we  must  limit  our  vision  to  some 


248 


SERMON  XVI. 


near  and  definite  objects,  lest,  taking  too  exten- 
sive a  survey,  we  should  view  everything  indistinct- 
ly, and  remember  nothing  with  precision  in  the 
boundlessness  of  God's  benevolence. 

There  is  a  class  of  blessings,  which,  because  we 
have  so  long  enjoyed  them,  we  are  tempted  to  for- 
get that  we  possess,  and  to  regard  as  the  constant 
and  immutable  laws  of  our  condition,  rather  than 
as  favors  no  less  extraordinary  than  they  are  un- 
merited. I  mean  the  peculiar  circumstances  of 
our  social  and  domestic  life ;  circumstances  to 
which  no  man  can  say  that  he  has  especially  con- 
tributed, for  they  are  the  result  of  God's  good 
providence,  watching  over  former  events  and  ear- 
ly habits,  rather  than  of  any  foresight  and  judg- 
ment of  our  own.  I  am  the  more  induced  to  make 
these  the  subject  of  our  grateful  review,  because 
from  their  silent,  unobtrusive,  and  permanent  na- 
ture, they  are  not  apt  at  any  one  time  to  make  a 
peculiarly  forcible  impression,  and  they  are  in 
danger  of  being  overlooked,  because  they  are  so 
uniform  and  quiet,  except  by  a  mind  tenderly  and 
piously  alive  to  the  goodness  of  God.  The  truth 
is,  that  we  are  very  much  in  the  habit  of  keeping 
ourselves  in  ignorance  of  the  real  sources  of  our 
happiness.  The  unexpected  events  of  life,  and 
much  more  those  on  which  we  calculate,  are  far 
from  being  those  which  constitute  its  real  enjoy- 
ment. Even  events  of  public  good  fortune,  which 
call  forth  the  most  frequent  and  audible  acknow- 
ledgements, are  really  not  those  which  contribute 


OUR  BLESSINGS  AS  AMERICANS.  249 

most  to  our  personal  well-being  ;  and  much  less  do 
we  depend  for  our  most  valuable  happiness,  on  what 
we  call  fortunate  occurrences,  or  upon  the  multipli- 
cation of  our  public  amusements,  or^the  excite- 
ment, the  novelty,  the  ecstasy,  which  we  make  so 
essential  to  our  pleasures,  and  for  which  we  are 
always  looking  out  with  impatience.  It  is  not  the 
number  of  the  great,  dazzling,  affecting,  and  much 
talked  of  pleasures,  which  makes  up  the  better 
part  of  our  substantial  happiness,  but  it  is  the  del- 
icate, unseen,  quiet,  and  ordinary  comforts  of  so- 
cial and  domestic  life,  for  the  loss  of  which  all 
that  the  world  has  dignified  with  the  name  of  plea- 
sure would  not  compensate  us.  Let  any  man  in- 
quire for  a  single  day,  what  it  is  which  has  employ- 
ed and  satisfied  him,  and  which  really  makes  him 
love  life,  and  he  will  find  that  the  sources  of  his 
happiness  lie  within  a  very  narrow  compass.  He 
will  find  that  he  depends  almost  entirely  on  the 
agreeable  circumstances  which  God  has  made  to 
lie  all  around  him,  and  which  fill  no  place  in  the 
record  of  public  events.  Indeed,  we  may  say  of 
human  happiness  what  Paul  quotes  for  a  more  sa- 
cred purpose,  '  It  is  not  hidden  from  thee  ;  neither 
is  it  far  off;  it  is  not  in  heaven  that  thou  sbouldst 
say,  Who  shall  go  up  for  us  to  heaven,  and  bring  it 
unto  us  that  we  may  enjoy  it ;  neither  is  it  beyond 
the  sea,  that  thou  shouldst  say,  Who  shall  go  over 
the  sea  for  us,  and  bring  it  unto  us,  but  it  is  nigh 
thee,  even  in  thy  mouth,  and  in  thy  heart.' 


32 


250  SERMON  XVI. 

I.  In  the  first  place  there  is  an  extraordinary  de- 
gree of  tranquillity  and  security  always  attending 
our  social  condition,  which  constitutes  much  of  its 
value.  Repose,  it  is  true,  is  not  always  a  bles- 
sing ;  certainly  not  where  it  is  the  repose  of  deso- 
lation, of  insensibility,  or  the  threatening  stillness 
which  precedes  the  whirlwind.  But  where  it  is 
the  result,  as  ours  is,  of  peculiar  habits  and  local 
circumstances,  of  which  almost  the  whole  world 
may  be  envious,  and  for  which  at  this  moment 
millions  are  praying,  it  deserves  to  be  most  grate- 
fully acknowledged.  It  is  this  singular  tranquillity, 
which  gives  to  our  external  and  intellectual  advan- 
tages unspeakable  worth.  There  are  other  coun- 
tries, in  which  much  more  wealth  is  accumulated, 
but  where  the  proprietor  trembles  while  he  casts 
up  his  treasure,  and  grasps  it  the  closer,  not  so 
much  from  avarice  as  fear.  There  are  countries, 
where  you  may  find  more  numerous  refinements, 
society  more  intellectual,  polished,  and  advanced  ; 
but  where  do  you  find  minds  so  entirely  at  ease, 
where  communication  so  unshackled  by  appre- 
hension, where  opinion  so  little  fettered  by  cus- 
tom or  power,  and  man  so  much  the  master  of  his 
pleasures,  his  means,  his  language,  and  even  his 
thoughts  ?  Our  social  intercourse  is  nowhere  dis- 
turbed with  apprehension.  We  enjoy  what  we 
have,  almost  without  forethought,  not  because  we 
know  not  but  we  may  be  dispoiled  of  it  tomor- 
row, but  because  we  have  a  sentiment  of  its  du- 
ration.    The  noise  of  war  has  been  rolling  con- 


OUR  BLESSINGS  AS  AMERICANS.  251 

tinually  at  what  seems  an  indefinite  distance,  and, 
instead  of  disturbing,  it  has  rather,  like  the  thun- 
der of  an  evening  cloud  that  has  passed  over,  con- 
tributed to  our  deeper  repose.  We  hear  of  the 
disasters  of  other  nations,  and  we  sometimes  trem- 
ble for  them  with  benevolent  apprehensions  and 
hopes;  but  it  is  not  because  we  have  a  child  or  a 
friend  exposed  to  the  dreadful  hazards  of  battle  ; 
it  is  not  because  we  are  doubtful  whether  the  event 
may  not  have  decided  the  fate  of  our  property,  our 
liberty,  or  our  comfort,  but  because  we  feel  a  nat- 
ural interest  in  their  sufferings,  which  cannot  and 
ought  not  to  be  extinguished.  We  seem  to  feel 
a  permanency  in  everything  around  us,  and  a  se- 
curity which  we  hardly  know  how  to  explain. 
Whence  then  this  peace  and  order  ?  To  whom 
are  we  indebted  for  them  ?  Can  any  man  say  that 
he  has  essentially  contributed  to  their  continu- 
ance ?  If  we  ascribe  them  to  our  peculiar  habits 
and  manners  and  government,  we  must  acknow- 
ledge the  good  providence  of  God,  directing  the 
circumstances  which  have  established  this  securi- 
ty. Go  hence  and  tell  thy  friends,  who  it  is  that 
hath  preserved  peace  in  thy  borders,  and  learn  to 
trust  not  in  thyself,  but  in  Him. 

II.  Our  social  and  domestic  condition  is,  sec- 
ondly, distinguished  by  a  diffusion  of  competence 
and  of  the  means  of  prosperity,  in  which  every 
man  has  a  share.  Where  do  we  find  families,  or 
individuals,  who  do  not,  in  some  comfortable  de- 
gree, partake  of  all  the  essential  comforts,  which 


252  SERMON  XVI. 

wealth  can  procure  ?  Who  is  driven  out  of  society 
because  he  is  too  poor  to  partake,  in  some  form, 
of  its  pleasures  ?  Every  morning's  sun,  as  it  rises, 
brings  to  every  man  a  provision  for  the  day,  or 
lights  him  to  the  means  of  procuring  it.  How 
much  may  be  retrenched  from  every  station  in 
society,  before  poverty  can  be  even  perceptible  ? 
and  how  much  more,  before  we  should  hear  the 
cry  of  want?  Who  among  us  returns  in  the  eve- 
ning to  his  family,  to  have  his  heart  broken  by  the 
cries  of  his  children  clinging  to  his  knees  for 
bread  ?  Whose  sleep  is  disturbed  by  the  thin 
phantoms  of  tomorrow's  difficulties?  So  general 
is  our  prosperity,  that  if  we  would  find  distress 
we  must  look  for  it ;  it  does  not  obtrude  itself 
upon  our  notice.  The  miseries  which  really  exist, 
do  not  throng  upon  us  so  fast  that  the  hand  of 
charity  is  exhausted  before  it  can  effectually  re- 
lieve them.  We  see  frequent  changes  from  luxury 
to  mediocrity,  but  how  faint  and  rare  is  the  cry  of 
real  and  incurable  wretchedness.  Contrivances 
for  comfort  meet  us  at  every  door  we  enter.  Every- 
where the  table  is  spread,  and  the  cup  is  filled  ; 
everywhere,  we  find  men  ascending  from  conven- 
ience to  comfort,  to  neatness,  to  elegance,  to  luxu- 
ry, to  profusion.  No  one  is  cast  out  because  he 
is  unable  to  support  his  place  in  this  continually 
ascending  feast  of  abundance.  The  wants  that 
are  felt,  arc  rather  the  cravings  of  appetites  that 
have  been  pampered,  or  of  ambition  too  much 
excited,  than  of  real  poverty.     In  the  prodigious 


OUR  BLESSINGS  AS  AMERICANS.  053 

extent  of  an  unoccupied  country  behind  us,  there 
seems  to  be  left  a  common  fund  for  every  man's 
exigences.  The  reduced  and  the  unfortunate 
change  their  residence,  and  if  we  hear  of  them 
again,  it  is  only  to  hear  of  their  prosperity.  AYc 
look  around  for  the  poor,  and  we  meet  with  here 
and  there  the  infirm,  the  diseased,  the  aged,  the 
imprudent,  and  the  profligate  foreigner,  but  for 
native,  irremediable  want,  we  search  in  vain.  In- 
stead of  poverty,  we  find,  indeed,  discontent,  envy, 
avarice,  overreaching,  and  profuseness ;  and  we 
are  told  of  disappointments  and  bankruptcies,  but 
these  are  the  miseries  of  abundance,  not  of  indi- 
gence. 

If  you  would  know  your  own  happiness,  contrast 
with  it  the  condition  of  those  parts  of  the  world, 
where  the  reduced  and  humbled  man  of  wealth 
and  of  rank  looks  round  in  vain  for  the  means  of 
employment;  where  the  poor  are  deprived  of  all 
the  real  comforts  of  society,  and  compressed  into 
manufactories,  mines,  hospitals,  and  prisons,  or 
driven  into  armies,  and  left  to  perish  unsought, 
unwept,  unremembered ;  and  then  go  home,  for 
you  have  a  home,  and  to  your  friends,  for  even 
these  your  poverty  will  gain  you,  and  tell  them 
what  great  things  the  Lord  has  done  for  you.  Truly 
the  lines  have  fallen  to  us  in  pleasant  places,  and 
we  have  a  goodly  heritage. 

III.  A  third  characteristic  of  our  social  condi- 
tion, is  the  general  diffusion  of  the  means  of  ob- 
taining knowledge,  from  which  results  that  intel- 


254  SERMON  XVI. 

lectual  cultivation  which  is  better  than  wealth,  and 
which  gives  the  highest  interest  to  social  life.  In 
this  region  of  our  country,  if  we  look  round  for 
the  ignorant  we  shall  find  them  indeed  without 
trouble ;  but  if  we  look  for  those  who  are  con- 
demned by  disadvantages  of  birth  and  situation  to 
unavoidable  ignorance,  we  shall  search  in  vain. 
Here  no  man,  who  feels  the  intimations  of  his 
intellectual  life,  and  begins  to  pant  after  knowledge 
and  truth,  need  waste  away  in  hopeless  obscurity, 
shut  out  from  the  means  of  knowledge  and  se- 
cluded from  the  society  of  the  intelligent.  What  is 
peculiar  in  our  society,  is,  that  nothing  debars  any 
one  from  reaching,  if  he  pleases,  the  highest  de- 
gree of  intellectual  improvement ;  nothing  forbids 
his  sharing  in  any  refinement  or  excellence,  which 
he  is  capable  of  enjoying.  Such  is  the  equality 
of  conditions  among  us,  that  the  intelligent  and 
the  unintelligent,  mingle  everywhere  together ; 
every  man  gives  and  receives  according  to  his 
gifts,  and  each  shares  in  the  peculiar  improve- 
ments of  all.  We  have  no  monopoly  of  informa- 
tion ;  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  mechanic  and 
the  merchant,  the  ignorant  and  the  learned,  the 
idle,  the  inquisitive,  and  the  laborious  student, 
may  all  go  and  drink  at  the  same  springs ;  and 
there  is  kept  in  continual  circulation  a  fund  of 
intellectual  riches,  which  every  man  may  use,  and 
to  which  he  is  not  debarred  from  contributing. 

The  actual  amount  of  intellectual  wealth,  and 
the  enjoyment  derived  from  it  in  general  society, 


OUR  BLESSINGS  AS  AMERICANS.  255 

may  be  very  much  surpassed,  as  it  undoubtedly  is, 
in  other  countries.  But  here  nothing  restrains  the 
eagerness  of  curiosity,  nothing  frowns  upon  the 
free  exercise  of  the  powers,  in  conversation,  in 
writing,  and  in  speaking;  and  how  much  is  there 
continually  within  our  reach,  to  refine,  to  soften, 
to  elevate,  and  to  delight  us  !  From  how  much 
weariness  are  we  thus  relieved  !  How  many  va- 
cant hours  are  thus  employed  !  How  many  sor- 
rows soothed,  and  spirits  elevated  !  '  How  many 
minds  lifted  out  of  the  dust !  How  much  sensu- 
ality is  thus  wiped  away,  and  how  much  is  added 
to  the  value  of  human  life  !  Those  who  know 
how  much  the  love  of  knowledge  tends  to  correct 
the  follies  of  society,  to  purify  its  pleasures,  to 
preserve  from  vicious  amusements,  and  to  fill  up 
the  vacant  spaces  of  active  life,  will  feel  grateful 
for  the  state  of  society,  where  no  man  need  be 
ashamed  to  appear  well  informed,  nor  is  any  man 
obliged  to  bear  the  mortifying  burden  of  his  igno- 
rance, longer  than  he  chooses. 

IV.  Closely  connected  with  these  great  advanta- 
ges of  our  intellectual  condition,  and  indeed,  form- 
ing the  most  valuable  part  of  them,  are  the  blessings 
of  our  religion.  I  cannot  express  to  you  the  sense 
which  I  have  of  the  value  of  that  influence  on 
society,  which  yet  flows  from  our  ancient  habits 
of  thinking  on  this  most  interesting  subject.  I 
am  ready  to  exclaim  with  the  ardent  Zecharias; 
Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel;  for  he  hath 
visited  and  redeemed  his  people,  according  to  the 


256  SERMON  XVI. 

mercy  promised  to  our  fathers,  in  that  he  hath 
granted  unto  us,  that  we,  being  delivered  out  of 
the  hands  of  our  enemies,  may  serve  him  without 
fear,  in  holiness  and  righteousness  all  the  days  of 
our  life.  When  you  consider,  my  christian  hear- 
ers, of  what  importance  is  a  sense  of  religion  to 
the  good  order  and  purity  of  our  social  intercourse, 
you  will  thank  God,  that  so  much  of  it  has  been 
imperceptibly  retained  among  us.  For  it  is  this, 
which  will  give  to  society  a  degree  of  security 
and  impart  to  it  a  confidence,  of  which  no  other 
sentiment  or  principle  can  supply  the  place  ;  and 
where  this  exists,  free,  pure,  rational,  conscientious, 
and  devout,  it  gives  to  the  character  a  tone  of 
dignity  and  freedom,  which  no  accomplishment 
can  bestow.  When  you  think  how  easy  it  is,  nay, 
how  common  it  has  been,  to  make  religion  the 
bane  and  terror  of  social  life,  the  destroyer  of 
everything  kind  and  generous,  the  source  of  the 
most  depressing  superstition,  bitter  jealousy,  and 
malignant  passions,  your  hearts  ought  to  be  filled 
with  gratitude  at  the  circumstances  of  New  En- 
gland. What  are  we,  or  what  were  our  fathers, 
that  we  should  enjoy  a  toleration  the  most  perfect, 
which  nothing  but  the  bad  passions  of  individuals 
can  disturb  ;  a  freedom  of  worship  and  of  opinion, 
which  smiles  at  the  powerless  impositions  of  men; 
and  a  general  liberality  of  thinking,  which  has  an 
unobserved  influence  upon  many  who  do  not  ac- 
knowledge it ;  and  that  with  all  this,  notwithstand- 
ing the  growth  of  our  luxury,  and  the  temptations 


OUR  BLESSINGS  AS  AMERICANS.  057 

of  our  good  fortune,  we  should  yet  retain  so  much 
respect  for  the  institutions  of  the  gospel,  and  so 
much  sense  of  its  indispensable  value  to  society  ? 
When  I  think  of  all  these  peculiarities  of  our  re- 
ligious condition,  and  ask  how  they  have  arisen, 
I  can  find  no  other  answer,  than  that  the  good 
Providence  of  God  alone  has  preserved  to  us  such 
an  inheritance  of  blessings. 

Let  me  lead  you,  last  of  all,  back  to  your  fami- 
lies, and  refresh  you  with  the  sight  of  the  blessings 
of  your  domestic  life.  Indeed,  if  I  were  to  search 
for  a  spot  where  you  could  best  observe  the  effect 
of  the  blessings  we  have  already  enumerated,  and 
best  feel  the  peculiar  happiness  of  your  social 
condition,  I  should  only  open  the  door  to  your  own 
firesides,  and  place  you  in  the  circle  of  your  chil- 
dren and  your  friends.  There  it  is,  indeed,  that 
you  ought  to  enjoy  the  united  influences  of  all  the 
other  advantages  we  have  mentioned.  If  you  are 
not  happy  there,  the  fault  is  not  in  your  circum- 
stances, but  in  your  dispositions.  For  when  we 
consider  the  enviable  state  of  the  domestic  rela- 
tions among  us,  of  husband  and  wife,  of  parents 
and  children,  we  are  at  a  loss  to  suggest  any  im- 
provement, except  in  the  use  of  these  advantages. 
Notwithstanding  the  rapid  encroachment  of  luxury, 
it  has  not  yet  so  corrupted  our  modes  of  life  under 
the  pretence  of  refining  them,  that  parents  are 
daily  separated  from  their  children.  You  may  at 
any  time,  collect  them  around  you,  refresh  your- 
selves with  their  innocence,  watch  their  budding 
33 


258  SERMON  XVI. 

talents  and  virtues,  and  enjoy  their  happiness.  The 
intercourse  between  you  and  your  offspring  is  not 
disturbed  by  any  foolish  customs  and  formalities  ; 
no  rights  of  primogeniture  enter,  to  kindle  jealou- 
sies and  coldness.  As  they  grow  up  successively, 
they  gradually  pass  into  your  companions,  your 
friends,  and  at  last  your  counsellors ;  perhaps 
your  stay  and  consolation.  So  abundant  are 
our  means  of  living,  that  your  children  are  not 
driven  unprovided  for  from  the  paternal  roof,  to 
seek  elsewhere  a  precarious  support.  No  officer 
of  despotism  bursts  open  your  doors,  to  drag  the 
reluctant  youth  to  be  sacrificed  on  the  field  of 
battle,  nor  does  every  mail  bring  you  intelligence, 
which  makes  your  heart  bleed,  of  some  new  ex- 
posures or  new  sufferings  which  they  are  called 
to  endure.  So  various  and  accessible  are  our 
means  of  education,  also,  that  parents  may  always 
have  some  new  pleasures  in  expectation  from  the 
improvement  of  their  children.  Soon  they  become 
qualified  to  partake  of  your  own  intellectual  pur- 
suits. Their  curiosity  keeps  yours  awake,  their  im- 
provement rewards  you  ;  and  the  domestic  circle 
every  day  brightens  with  new  accessions  in  intelli- 
gence and  pleasure.  Thus  they  grow  up  with  you 
at  home  ;  and  here,  at  least,  this  blessed  name  yet 
expresses  a  reality,  a  substantial  good,  a  sanctuary, 
a  refuge  from  the  troubles  of  life,  the  very  centre 
of  our  national  happiness.  And  when  the  fear  and 
love  of  God  dwell  under  your  roofs,  when  his 
worship  purifies,  and  makes  holy  these  domestic 


OUR  BLESSINGS  AS  AMERICANS.  259 

enjoyments,  when  your  prayers,  as  they  ascend 
morning  and  evening,  draw  closer  the  sacred  ties 
of  parent  and  child,  brother  and  sister — but  I 
need  not  dwell  on  the  minutiae  of  your  blessings, 
I  need  not  paint,  what  your  hearts,  if  they  are 
rightly  attempered,  will  represent  to  you  with  more 
vividness  and  reality.  Go  home  then,  for  you 
have  a  home,  and  tell  your  children  what  great 
things  God  has  done  for  us. 

This  recital  of  our  blessings,  however  grateful  it 
may  be  to  the  mind,  is  yet  attended  with  two  con- 
siderations, which  press  upon  our  attention.  The 
first  is.  how  little  have  we  ourselves  contributed  to 
these  advantages.  They  seem  in  truth  to  be  the 
gifts  of  Providence  alone,  for  we  can  hardly  trace 
them  to  any  positive  causes.  When  Ave  reflect 
upon  our  social  and  domestic  lot,  one  thing  is  al- 
ways evident,  that  if  all  the  good  we  find  can  be 
traced  to  the  care  of  a  most  gracious  Providence, 
all  the  evil  to  which  we  are  exposed  may  be  trac- 
ed directly  to  those  passions,  which  the  most  fa- 
vorable state  of  society  cannot  always  suppress, 
to  those  corruptions  which  grow,  alas  !  and  ripen 
under  the  very  sunshine  of  our  prosperity.  The 
other  consideration  which  may  make  us  all  trem- 
ble, is  how  long  shall  this  state  of  prosperity  last  ? 
lias  God  given  us  a  pledge  of  uninterrupted  secu- 
rity and  good  fortune?  or  does  not  its  continu- 
ance depend  much  upon  ourselves  ?  If  the  cup  of 
our  prosperity  intoxicates  us,  will  it  not  fall  at  last 
from  our  hands  and  be  dashed  in  pieces  ? 


260  SERMON  XVI. 

My  friends,  let  us  think  before  we  part,  of  the 
duties  which  our  very  happiness  imposes  upon  us. 
Ought  we  not,  first  of  all,  most  gratefully  and 
humbly  to  adore  the  distinguishing  goodness  of 
God  ?  Perhaps  we  have  hitherto  overlooked  the 
real  foundation  of  our  happiness  ;  perhaps  if  we 
have  been  sensible  of  the  good,  we  have  not 
thought  of  the  Author.  We  have  entered  this 
garden  of  God,  and  carelessly  cropped  the  flow- 
ers with  which  it  is  filled,  and  thought  them  plant- 
ed only  for  our  gratification.  This  is  not  the  con- 
dition on  which  any  of  God's  gifts  are  bestowed. 

Our  common  prosperity  is  indeed  unexam- 
pled, but  it  is  not  out  of  the  reach  of  injury. 
While  it  lasts,  it  is  the  duty  of  every  man  to  con- 
tribute what  he  can  to  preserve  it.  If  you  would 
advance  the  glory  of  your  age,  and  make  it  worthy 
of  being  remembered  by  those  who  shall  come  af- 
ter you,  beware  of  the  encroachments  of  luxury. 
Nothing  will  so  much  tend  to  make  you  insensible 
to  the  best  gifts  of  Providence,  and  callous  to  the 
purest  pleasures  of  life,  as  the  love  of  noisy  and  friv- 
olous distinctions,  the  pursuit  of  vicious  pleasures, 
and  the  tyranny  of  fashion.  Consider  whether  you 
do  not  contribute  to  the  corruptions  of  the  age,  by 
an  immoderate  pursuit  of  amusement.  Consider 
how  easily  the  minds  of  those  who  are  coming  into 
life,  are  enfeebled  and  deluded  by  the  doubtful  ex- 
amples of  those  whom  they  are  taught  to  consider 
as  giving  the  tone  to  the  manners  of  the  age. 


OUR  BLESSINGS  AS  AMERICANS.  9(31 

To  preserve  our  social  pleasures  in  any  good 
degree  of  purity,  nothing  will  so  much  contribute 
as  the  cultivating  a  taste  for  domestic  life  and  the 
quiet  and  affectionate  pleasures  which  it  affords. 
In  such  a  state  of  society  as  ours,  also,  there  is 
danger  lest  the  love  of  money,  or  of  merely  sensu- 
al idleness,  should  overwhelm  the  rising  genera- 
tion. To  obviate  these  evils  it  is  much  to  be  de- 
sired, that  the  love  of  literature  and  of  intellectu- 
al pursuits  should  be  greatly  encouraged ;  for 
though  the  passion  for  knowledge  is  no  proof  of  a 
principle  of  virtue,  it  is  often  a  security  against  the 
vices  and  temptations  of  the  world.  Everything 
which  you  contribute  to  the  institutions  of  sound 
learning  and  to  promote  a  correct  and  pious  edu- 
cation, you  contribute  to  the  peace,  the  purity,  and 
the  glory  of  the  age. 

Once  more,  my  friends.  What  a  treasure  of 
felicity  you  have  in  keeping!  And  by  you  it  is  to 
be  bequeathed  to  those  who  are  to  be  your  succes- 
sors, in  a  long  posterity.  Let  your  thoughts  run 
on  a  few  years  in  prospect,  and  can  you  endure  to 
see  those  whom  you  have  brought  into  life,  whom 
you  have  trained  up  to  fill  your  places,  and  whose 
destiny  you  now  influence,  can  you  endure  to  see 
them  spoiling  this  rich  inheritance,  and  then  re- 
proaching your  memories  ?  Can  you  look,  with- 
out remorse,  and  see  them  taking  their  places  in 
society,  depraved  by  your  example,  lost  to  virtue, 
to  peace,  and  to  Heaven  ? 


262  SERMON  XVI. 

Do  not  think  you  have  discharged  your  obliga- 
tions when  you  have  laid  up  for  them  a  perishable 
inheritance  on  earth,  when  you  have  given  them 
a  customary  education,  and  set  them  up  in  life. 
Oh  no !  God,  who  watches  over  our  employment 
of  his  gifts,  demands  of  you,  not  only  that  you  de- 
dicate your  children  to  him,  but  that  you  implant 
in  them  his  fear  and  love,  that  you  furnish  them 
with  the  only  sure  sources  of  happiness,  by  your 
lessons  of  piety,  by  your  example  at  home  and  in 
public,  and  by  your  prayers  with  them  and  for 
them.  Without  this  you  may  leave  them  the  wealth 
of  the  world,  and  it  will  only  curse  them  ;  you 
may  leave  them  the  rank,  the  glory,  the  reputation 
of  their  fathers,  and  it  will  only  render  them 
the  decorated  victims  of  the  indignation  of  Heav- 
en. Consider,  then,  what  obligations  to  others 
your  privileges  impose  upon  you.  Walk  within 
your  houses  with  a  perfect  heart.  Make  them  the 
nurseries  of  godliness,  resolve  that  from  this  day 
you  will  not  neglect  this  most  solemn  of  your  du- 
ties, and  then  with  a  grateful  heart  tell  your  friends 
what  great  things  God  has  done  for  you. 


SERMON   XVII 


THE  PRACTICABLENESS  OF  THE  EXAMPLE  OF  OUR  SAVIOUR. 
Hebrews,  III.   1. 

WHEREFORE,  HOLY  BRETHREN,  PARTAKERS  OF  THE  HEAVENLY  CAL- 
LING, CONSIDER  THE  APOSTLE  AND  HIGH  PRIEST  OF  OUR  PROFES- 
SION,  JESUS    CHRIST. 

When  we  rise  from  the  contemplation  of  the 
character  of  Jesus,  it  is  with  a  mixture  of  trans- 
port and  of  despair  ;  of  transport  at  finding  that 
such  immaculate  excellence  was  embodied  and 
exhibited  in  a  human  form,  and  despair  lest  it 
should  be  impossible  to  imitate  it  in  the  present 
mixed  condition  of  human  life.  I  know  not  how 
any  man  can  take  up  any  one  of  the  gospels  and 
read  it  through,  without  feeling  that  there  is  some- 
thing supernatural  about  the  character  of  Jesus, 
without  catching  at  intervals  a  glimpse  of  that 
divinity  which  seems  to  encircle  him,  or  perceiv- 
ing the  truth  and  nature  of  the  Centurion's  excla- 
mation, when  he  heard  the  last  expression  which 
escaped  from  the  lips  of  the  dying  Saviour,  'Truly 
this  was  the  Son  of  God.' 


2G4  SERMON  XVII. 

The  moral  character  of  Jesus  is  distinguished 
from  that  of  every  other  teacher's  upon  record, 
by  this  peculiar  circumstance,  that  it  united  excel- 
lences which  are  usually  thought  irreconcilable  or 
which  are  very  rarely  found  conjoined  in  any  indi- 
vidual. Endued  as  he  was  with  power  which  was 
calculated  to  impress  beholders  with  the  most  rev- 
erential awe,  he  united  with  this  a  familiarity  which 
admitted  on  easy  terms  of  communication,  all  the 
grades  and  classes  of  society.  He  knew  how  to 
effect,  also,  that  rare  union  of  zeal  with  candor, 
which  we  seek  in  vain  in  other  celebrated  reform- 
ers. He  combined,  too,  the  utmost  activity  with 
a  prudence  which  never  deserted  him,  and  irresist- 
ible power  with  unassuming  gentleness.  Look  at 
his  character  from  one  point  of  view,  and  you 
would  think  he  was  formed  only  to  suffer  ;  from 
another,  and  he  appears  destined  only  to  act.  He 
was  sensible  of  his  high  character  and  pretensions, 
yet  meek  and  gentle  and  unresisting.  Though  he 
abated  not  from  the  rigor  of  his  Father's  requisi- 
tions, yet  he  was  the  preacher  of  a  religion  which 
offers  relief  to  the  burdened  and  succor  to  the 
miserable.  In  one  word,  he  brought  together  in 
his  character  the  utmost  perfection  of  opposite, 
I  might  almost  say,  incompatible  excellences. 

To  dwell  upon  the  character  of  Jesus,  is  the  de- 
light of  every  Christian,  not  merely  because  it 
confirms  his  faith,  but  because  it  has  a  salutary 
effect  upon  his  own  character  and  disposition,  and 
those  advanced  Christians  who  have  satisfied  them- 


EXAMPLE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  035 

selves  of  the  historical  truth  of  Christianity,  re- 
pose afterwards  upon  their  original  convictions, 
while  their  faith  is  continually  strengthening  itself, 
not  merely  by  time  and  habit,  but  by  those  irre- 
sistible impressions  which  are  made  by  a  frequent 
and  diligent  reading  of  the  New  Testament. 

It  was  no  small  part  of  the  great  design  of  God, 
when  he  interposed  to  reveal  himself  among  men 
by  his  Son,  to  give  us  a  living,  visible  specimen  of 
human  nature,  such  as  it  may  become  when  the 
operation  of  the  gospel  has  its  full  influence. 
Hence  it  is  a  remarkable  circumstance  in  the  char- 
acter of  Jesus,  that,  though  he  was  so  intimately 
united  with  God,  and  had  power  committed  to  him 
in  heaven  and  in  earth,  his  example  is  in  every 
moral  respect  strictly  practicable.  It  is  an  exam- 
ple to  men  in  every  condition.  It  teaches  us  how 
to  live  on  earth,  as  well  as  to  prepare  ourselves 
for  heaven.  In  every  useful  point  of  view  it  is 
accommodated  to  the  imitation  of  common  men. 

It  is  my  intention  in  this  discourse  to  consider 
what  may  be  called  its  practicableness;  that  is,  its 
practicableness  as  an  example  of  social  virtue  held 
up  to  the  imitation  of  such  beings  as  we  are. 

In  the  first  place,  consider  how  completely  this 
example  would  be  marred  and  rendered  ineffectu- 
al, or  even  dangerous,  if  the  most  piercing  scrutiny 
had  discovered  a  single  stain  in  the  character  of 
Jesus ;  I  do  not  say  if  such  a  stain  had  really  ex- 
isted, but  even  if  it  had  appeared  from  the  narra- 
tions that  there  was  anything  which  wore  the  ap- 
34 


266  SERMON  XVII. 

pearance  of  immorality.  The  difficulty  would  be 
insuperable  even  supposing  it  to  arise  merely  from 
some  defect  in  our  knowledge  of  the  circumstances 
of  the  case.  We  should  labor  under  a  burden 
which  nothing  could  remove,  because  it  might  be 
said  that  no  Christian  was  obliged  to  follow  a  mas- 
ter as  divine,  who  had  discovered  a  deficiency  in 
that  purity  which  he  had  made  the  object  of  his 
religion.  In  this  respect,  as  in  many  others,  the 
character  of  Christ  remains  eternally  distinguished 
from  that  of  any  other  teacher  in  the  history  of 
the  world.  It  is  not  merely  from  the  accounts  of 
his  friends  that  we  venture  to  make  this  assertion, 
but  it  is  conceded  even  by  his  enemies.  In  all  the 
busy  murmurs  of  history  about  the  characters  of 
men,  not  a  whisper  can  be  distinguished  which  ca- 
lumniates the  founder  of  our  faith.  Compare  with 
this  the  character  of  Socrates,  who,  great  and 
good  as  he  was,  and  often  as  he  is  made  the 
theme  of  philosophical  declamation  and  imperti- 
nent comparison  with  Jesus,  was  more  than  sus- 
pected of  indulging  in  some  of  the  fashionable 
vices  of  his  age  and  country.  And  the  divine  Plato 
is  not  more  clear  of  imputations.  Need  I  mention 
the  character  of  Mahomet ;  the  privilege  which  he 
claimed  of  peculiar  indulgence,  his  notorious  sen- 
suality, as  well  as  his  personal  ambition  ?  This  list 
might  be  enlarged,  if  it  were  necessary,  by  the 
names  of  the  most  eminent  philosophers  of  anti- 
quity. 


EXAMPLE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  267 

The  singular  usefulness  of  the  example  of  our 
Saviour  appears,  secondly,  in  this,  that  his  whole 
life,  as  far  as  we  arc  acquainted  with  it,  was  a  life 
of  active  and  substantial  goodness.  All  his  purpo- 
ses were  benevolent,  all  his  practice  disinterested. 
If  he  had  not  had  it  expressly  in  view  to  exempli- 
fy the  great  precept  of  his  religion,  that  no  man 
liveth  to  himself,  he  might  have  merely  declared 
the  purpose  of  his  mission  and  confirmed  it  by 
some  splendid  prodigies.  If  it  had  not  been  one 
great  part  of  his  mediation  to  leave  us  a.  perfect 
character  of  goodness,  why  should  he  have  led 
such  a  laborious  life  of  kindness?  He  never 
wrought  a  miracle  without  some  gracious  effect  or 
moral  purpose.  He  was  indefatigable  in  relieving 
the  real  wants  of  men,  in  curing  those  diseases 
which  human  art  could  not  reach,  in  assuaging 
their  most  distressing  sorrows,  in  restoring  to  them 
their  most  essential  comforts,  as  well  as,  in  some 
instances,  administering  to  their  convenience  and 
contributing  to  their  pleasures.  He  does  not 
merely  tell  them  what  they  ought  to  do  ;  he  does 
not  content  himself  with  merely  reproaching  them 
for  their  sins  and  railing  at  their  ignorance,  but 
he  does  all  in  his  power  to  instruct  in  the  most 
condescending,  and  to  correct  in  the  gentlest  man- 
ner, their  unfortunate  prejudices.  Whatever  pe- 
riod we  assign  to  our  Saviour's  ministry,  it  was  a 
space  crowded  with  acts  of  essential  goodness. 

I  will  proceed  now  to  mention  some  of  the  traits 
in  the  character  of  Jesus,  which  bear  upon  the 


268  SERMON  XVII. 

main  subject  which  I  would    keep  in   view,  the 
practicableness  of  his  example. 

His  conversation  and  conduct  are  complete 
specimens  of  what  may  be  called  coolness  and 
soundness  of  mind,  qualities  indispensably  neces- 
sary in  one  who  would  do  good  to  the  best  effect, 
without  defeating  his  own  purposes  by  precipitan- 
cy, or  endangering  his  life  by  imprudence.  He 
discovers  at  all  times  a  disposition  to  avoid  dan- 
gers where  it  was  consistent  with  his  duty,  but  he 
encounters  the  most  dreadful  hazards  when  the 
destination  of  his  Heavenly  Father  made  it  ne- 
cessary for  the  accomplishment  of  his  purposes. 
He  does  not,  like  a  rash  enthusiast,  throw  himself 
in  the  way  of  persecution,  for  in  many  places  of 
his  history  we  find  him  withdrawing  himself  from 
the  pressure  of  the  multitude  and  the  observation 
of  his  enemies,  when  such  an  exposure  would 
have  precipitated  the  fatal  catastrophe  which  he 
had  constantly  in  view.  He  escapes  with  the  ut- 
most prudence  from  the  ensnaring  questions  of 
the  rulers,  and  does  not,  in  the  heat  or  the  pride 
of  his  commission,  permit  himself  to  be  embroiled 
in  a  controversy  or  a  tumult.  His  replies  are  al- 
ways judicious,  his  courage  is  perfectly  sedate  and 
without  the  least  symptom  of  timidity.  It  is  also 
plain  that  his  boldness  is  not  the  effect  of  passion. 
In  short  he  displays  that  very  temper  which  he, 
who  would  do  any  great  and  singular  good  in  a 
difficult  world,  must  possess. 


EXAMPLE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  269 

It  is  often  the  misfortune  of  those  who  have  the 
most  ardent  love  of  mankind  and  the  most  disin- 
terested spirit  of  philanthropy,  that  their  zeal  is 
misguided,  their  courage  borders  on  rashness,  their 
passions  are  the  first  guides  which  they  follow. 
Their  best  designs  are  therefore  sometimes  defeat- 
ed by  imprudence  resulting  from  excess  of  virtu- 
ous ardor.  Such  is  the  imperfection  of  human 
exertion.  But  in  our  Saviour  we  discover  a 
warmth  of  goodness  which  never  enkindles  and 
consumes  itself;  an  intrepidity  which  never  sought 
for  approbation  ;  a  presence  of  mind  which  was 
never  surprised  by  the  arts  of  his  enemies,  which 
was  never  lost  in  a  moment  of  indignation. 

There  is  another  class  of  good  men  in  the  world, 
who,  with  the  best  dispositions  to  do  good,  and 
Avith  a  sincere  concern  for  the  character  of  others, 
have  yet  not  sufficient  resolution  to  meet  difficul- 
ties, nor  fortitude  to  bear  reproach,  in  the  service 
of  truth  and  virtue.  They  talk  well,  but  they  dare 
not  act.  They  wish  to  see  a  change,  but  dare  not 
appear  alone  in  any  important  measure,  or  even 
to  take  a  share  of  that  danger  and  suffering  which 
must  always  belong  to  active  integrity  or  great  en- 
terprises. Not  so  was  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 
He  kept  no  terms  with  corruption,  he  made  no 
excuses  for  hypocrisy,  and  propitiated  not  the  re- 
sentment of  guilty  men  of  power.  He  knew 
how  to  meet  the  eye  of  hardened  guilt,  without 
fear  of  man,  when  he  was  discharging  his  duty, 
and  without  transgressing  the  obligations  of  a  cit- 


270  SERMON  XVII. 

izen  or  a  subject.  He  did  not  utter  his  censures 
in  private,  and  then  fly  from  the  consequences  of 
his  opinions,  hut  he  met  iniquity  in  front,  and  ap- 
pealed for  the  truth  of  his  reproaches  to  the  con- 
sciences of  those  who  heard  him.  Neither  was  he 
more  indulgent  to  the  faults  of  his  friends,  than 
to  the  crimes  of  his  enemies.  He  was  not  afraid 
of  losing  them  by  reproving  what  was  really  vi- 
cious, or  by  warning  them  of  their  temptations  and 
their  weakness  ;  at  the  same  time  that  he'managed 
with  the  greatest  address  their  unavoidable  preju- 
dices, and  mildly  corrected  their  ambitious  expec- 
tations. 

Again ;  I  would  mention  a  trait  in  our  Sav- 
iour's character  which  is  peculiarly  deserving  our 
notice  and  imitation.  I  mean  his  constant  supe- 
riority to  motives  of  fame  or  reputation.  The 
great  sin,  which  pollutes  even  the  most  illustrious 
actions  of  men,  is  the  mixture  of  vanity.  We  find 
it  in  characters  otherwise  almost  faultless  ;  we  de- 
tect it  in  our  best  services.  We  often  resort  to  it 
in  education,  and  we  find  that  it  exercises  an  un- 
sanctified  influence  where  we  should  least  expect 
it.  When  we  discover  it  in  others,  it  is  with  a 
sentiment  of  regret,  which  impairs  our  admiration, 
and  when  we  detect  it  in  ourselves,  if  our  hearts 
are  allowed  to  answer  before  God,  it  is  with  a  sen- 
timent of  mortification  and  humility.  It  is  cer- 
tain, that  the  most  exalted  minds  are  most  free 
from  this  mixture,  and  it  is  the  first  and  last  object 
of  the  gospel  thoroughly  to  discharge  it  from  our 


EXAMPLE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  271 

motives.  Jesus  was  at  an  infinite  distance  from 
desiring  to  receive  honor  from  men.  Possessed 
of  powers  which  could  in  an  instant  have  drawn 
around  him  a  body  of  enthusiastic  and  devoted 
followers  and  have  elevated  him  to  any  station  or 
authority  he  could  desire,  he  is  yet  employed  in 
teaching  humility  to  a  i'ew  ambitious  disciples. 
When  they  would  take  him  by  force  to  make  him 
a  king,  he  escaped  from  them.  He  would  not 
work  a  miracle  merely  to  excite  their  admiration, 
and  refused  to  give  them  the  sign  from  heaven 
which  they  solicited.  Not  a  word  which  he  ever 
uttered,  nor  an  action  which  he  ever  did,  was  cal- 
culated merely  to  excite  applause.  It  seemed  to 
be  his  care  not  to  awaken  any  stupid  wonder  by 
singularity  or  austerity,  or  an  imitation  of  the 
manner  of  popular  teachers. 

But  there  are  also  in  the  conduct  of  Jesus  marks 
of  disinterestedness  which  are  worthy  of  admira- 
tion. He  uniformly  evinces  the  utmost  unconcern 
about  his  personal  appearance  and  accommoda- 
tion. There  is  one  instance  of  this  which  deserves 
to  be  pointed  out.  He  had  been  engaged  in  earn- 
est conversation  with  a  Samaritan  woman.  In 
the  mean  while,  says  the  evangelist  John,  '  his  dis- 
ciples prayed  him,  saying,  Master,  eat;  but  he 
said  unto  them,  I  have  meat  to  eat  that  ye  know 
not  of.  Therefore  said  the  disciples  one  to  anoth- 
er, Hath  any  man  brought  him  to  eat  ?  Jesus  saith 
unto  them,  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that 
sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work.'     He  discovers  no 


272  SERMON  XVII. 

inclination  to  increase  his  fortune  or  provide  for 
his  family.  He  seems  to  take  pains  to  show  that 
he  was  completely  disengaged  from  all  family  influ- 
ence, because  he  had,  in  more  than  one  instance, 
discovered  a  disposition  in  his  relations  to  avail 
themselves  of  his  character  and  to  look  to  him  for 
advancement.  Hence  the  apparent  harshness  of 
his  reply  to  those  who  told  him  that  his  mother 
and  brethren  were  standing  without,  desirous  to 
speak  with  him.  He  answers,  '  Who  is  my  mother, 
and  who  are  my  brethren  ?  And  he  stretched  out 
his  hand  toward  his  disciples  and  said,  Behold  my 
mother  and  my  brethren.'  This  indifference  to  his 
personal  or  family  interests  shows  only  that  there 
was  nothing  worldly-minded  in  his  character,  not 
that  there  was  any  want  of  affection  or  of  the  feel- 
ings of  consanguinity.  On  the  contrary,  we  may 
safely  challenge  the  records  of  true  history  or  of 
the  pathetic  in  fiction,  to  produce  such  specimens 
of  inimitable  tenderness  and  affection,  as  are  con- 
tained in  our  Saviour's  admirable  discourses  to  his 
disciples  just  before  his  death.  '  Having  loved  his 
own  that  had  continued  with  him,  he  loved  them 
unto  the  end.'  There  is  in  these  discourses  that 
rare  mixture  of  piety  and  tenderness,  which  is  in- 
teresting beyond  any  other  combination  of  human 
sentiments.  The  man  who  can  read  the  last  chap- 
ter of  John  without  emotion,  must  be  himself  des- 
titute of  piety,  or  insensible  to  the  characteristics 
of  a  superior  mind  under  the  influence  of  strong 
affection. 


EXAMPLE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  273 

With  his  disciples,  the  most  striking  part  of 
his  conduct,  is,  I  think,  his  wonderful  patience. 
He  found  them  enslaved  by  prejudices  as  invete- 
rate as  those  of  the  rest  of  his  countrymen.  It  is 
true  they  had  left  all  and  followed  him.  But 
wherefore  ?  Not  from  any  disinterested  attach- 
ment to  his  cause,  for  they  were  every  day  expect- 
ing that  he  would  assume  the  splendor  of  a  tempo- 
ral prince,  and  assign  them  the  highest  dignities 
in  his  triumphant  administration.  Not  from  any 
love  of  the  pure  doctrines  he  inculcated,  for  they 
appear  to  have  continued,  even  to  the  time  of  his 
ascension,  ignorant  of  the  spiritual  nature  of  his 
mission.  They  were  no  doubt  attracted  at  first  by 
the  miracles  which  he  exhibited.  They  thought 
it  safe  to  be  found  in  the  train  of  a  teacher  who 
seemed  to  have  the  elements  at  his  disposal,  and 
the  laws  of  nature  within  his  control.  Hence  our 
Saviour  found  it  extremely  difficult  to  give  them 
any  just  expectations  of  the  sufferings  to  which 
they  would  be  exposed.  He  would  discourse  to 
them  of  humility,  of  suffering,  of  contempt,  of 
painful  exposures ;  yet,  their  fancies  were  contin- 
ually employed  in  sketching  out  plans  of  his  future 
royalty  and  their  own  advancement,  and  at  the 
end  of  a  discourse  calculated  to  suppress  all  their 
ambitious  imaginations,  they  could  coolly  ask  him, 
which  of  them  should  be  greatest  ?  Without  ex- 
pressing any  impatience,  he  would  repeat  again  his 
lessons  of  meekness,  and  try,  by  every  variety  of 
instruction,  to  correct  their  presumptuous  hopes. 
35 


274  SERMON  XVII. 

Though  they  had  been  long  with  him,  and  had 
seen  miracles  enough  to  satisfy  them  at  least  of 
his  ability  to  provide  for  any  multitude  of  follow- 
ers, yet  they  are  found  murmuring  and  anxious 
because  they  had  taken  no  bread,  and  were  them- 
selves in  a  desert  place.  Jesus  shows  no  resent- 
ment at  their  want  of  confidence,  but  simply  asks 
them  if  they  have  forgotten  the  two  instances  in 
which  he  had  fed  thousands  of  followers  from  a 
few  loaves. 

The  behaviour  of  Jesus  to  Judas,  is  in  particular 
a  remarkable  instance  of  the  benignity  and  gener- 
ous patience  of  his  character.  Though  he  knew 
fr  m  the  first  that  he  was  secretly  forming  his 
purposes  of  treachery,  yet  he  forbears  to  expose 
the  designs  of  the  traitor  to  the  rest  of  the  little 
fraternity,  lest,  impelled  by  sudden  indignation  or 
a  holy  zeal  for  their  Master's  security,  they  should 
commit  some  act  of  rudeness,  and  thus  drive  him 
to  some  desperate  attempt,  or  at  least  exclude 
him  from  all  opportunity  of  repentance  and  con- 
version. He  forbears  even  to  excite  the  suspicion 
of  the  disciples  against  him,  during  the  whole  time 
he  was  with  them,  that  he  might  not  interrupt  the 
harmony  which  prevailed  in  the  little  circle. 

In  that  distressing  scene  of  his  agony,  when  he 
begs  them  to  watch  with  him  through  those  mo- 
ments of  inconceivable  horror  and  anguish,  when 
he  retired  to  pray,  he  returns  and  finds  them 
asleep.  Instead  of  reproving,  he  even  finds  an 
excuse  for  them.     You  are  fatigued  and  need  this 


EXAMPLE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  215 

refreshment.  '  Sleep  on  now  and  take  your  rest.' 
How  pure  and  unexceptionable  must  have  been 
that  partiality  which  lie  discovered  to  John,  the 
beloved  disciple,  when  we  cannot  find  that  it 
awakened  any  jealousy  in  ihe  breasts  of  the  ambi- 
tious fraternity,  but,  on  the  contrary,  this  young 
pupil  in  the  school  of  Jesus  could  lean  on  the 
breast  of  his  Master  without  offence,  and  Peter, 
who  denied  him,  could  be  melted  into  contrition 
by  a  passing  look  !  Once  we  are  told,  that  Jesus 
wept.  It  was  at  the  grave  of  a  friend  whom  he 
bad  long  loved.  And  why  did  he  weep?  Not  for 
the  loss  of  Lazarus,  for  he  knew  that  with  a  word 
be  could  restore  him  to  life  and  present  him  to  his 
mourning  sisters.  But  he  was  melted  by  the  signs 
of  sorrow  which  they  and  the  attending  mourners 
discovered.  He  could  not  resist  the  contagion  of 
sympathy.  Mary  and  Martha,  the  disciples  and 
the  Jews  were  weeping  around  him,  and  the  Son 
of  God  was  moved  also,  it  is  indeed  unexampled 
in  the  history  of  human  character  to  find  such 
industrious  and  active  benevolence,  and  such  con- 
sciousness of  one's  own  powers,  mingled  with  a 
passive  tenderness  of  nature  susceptible  to  all  the 
emotions  of  sorrow. 

The  social  character  of  our  Saviour,  in  his 
intercourse  with  the  generation  among  whom  he 
lived,  deserves  next  to  be  considered.  Such  was 
our  Saviour's  mode  of  life  that  he  was  obliged  to 
be  much  in  company.  Not  having  where  to  lay 
bis  head,  he  was  frequently  found  at  the  tables  of 
the  rich  and  in  the  houses  of  his  friends. 


276  SERMON  XVII. 

The  wonderful  familiarity  to  which  he  admitted 
those  who  approached  him,  and  the  readiness  with 
which  he  administered  to  the  wants  which  were 
marie  known  to  him,  are  also  striking  traits  in  the 
social  character  of  Jesus.  The  sense  of  his  own 
superiority  seems  never  for  a  moment  to  have 
obstructed  the  activity  and  the  cheerfulness  of  his 
benevolence.  He  preserved  the  utmost  frankness 
with  the  utmost  civility  and  condescension.  It 
was  his  delight  to  raise  the  humble,  to  encourage 
the  timid,  to  place  those  whom  the  proud  despis- 
ed, in  the  light  of  his  favor,  and  to  anticipate  the 
requests  of  those  who  were  fearful  lest  they  should 
trouble  him. 

It  appears  to  have  been  one  principal  aim  in  the 
public  character  of  Jesus,  to  do  the  greatest  good 
in  the  most  private  and  unobtrusive  manner.  '  He 
neither  strove,  nor  cried,  nor  was  his  voice  heard 
in  the  street.'  Acting  always  upon  the  great 
principle  that  mercy  was  better  than  sacrifice,  he 
did  not  scruple  to  violate  the  superstitious  rigors 
with  which  the  scribes  had  corrupted  the  sabbati- 
cal rest ;  and  he  avoided  encouraging  any  of  those 
vexatious  restrictions  which  the  Jewish  hierarchy 
had  added  to  the  original  severity  of  the  Mosaic 
institutions.  It  appears  to  have  been  his  object 
to  reform  the  Jewish  nation  without  abolishing  the 
moral  law,  and  we  cannot  conclude  from  anything 
that  is  recorded  of  our  Saviour,  that  it  will  be 
necessary  for  the  Jewish  nation,  upon  embracing 
Christianity,  to  relinquish  the  service  of  the  syna- 


EXAMPLE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  217 

goguo,  or  the  moral  institutions  of  their  great 
lawgiver. 

Lastly  ;  our  Saviour  has  left  us  a  pattern  of 
conduct  in  extreme  suffering.  The  prospect  of 
his  death  was  evidently  terrible  to  him.  His  prayers 
betray  the  agony  of  his  mind.  If  he  had  posses- 
sed any  tincture  of  enthusiasm,  or  of  the  infatuat- 
ed courage  with  which  other  martyrs  have  gone  to 
the  stake,  we  should  have  seen  none  of  those  symp- 
toms of  excessive  sensibility,  which  the  evangelists, 
without  disguise,  ascribe  to  him.  Yet  with  such 
impressions  of  his  sufferings  he  attains  at  last  a 
state  of  perfect  acquiescence,  deep  resignation, 
and  greatness  in  submission.  He  dies  without  ex- 
travagance either  of  hope  or  fear.  He  cries  out 
from  the  cross,  '  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend 
my  spirit,  and  having  said  this",  he  gave  up  the 
ghost.' 

I  have  selected  these  parts  of  our  Saviour's 
character  with  a  sparing  hand,  and  with  the  single 
view  of  illustrating  what  I  have  called  the  practi- 
cableness  of  his  example.  Every  one  of  these  qual- 
ities is  not  only  attainable  by  us,  but  of  great  prac- 
tical importance.  His  unsuspected  purity  of  life, 
his  unwearied  and  benevolent  activity,  his  equa- 
nimity, coolness,  and  prudence,  mingled  with  a  for- 
titude which  nothing  could  crush,  and  a  boldness 
which  disdained  to  equivocate  with  the  wicked  ; 
his  contempt  for  mere  applause,  and  superiority  to 
personal  convenience ;  his  unequalled  affection 
for  his  disciples,  and  to  crown  all,   a  superintend- 


278 


SERMON  XVII. 


ing  piety,  which  always  led  him  to  the  most  com- 
plete acquiescence  in  the  will  of  God  ;  these  are 
not  the  qualities  of  enthusiasm.  They  do  not  de- 
pend either  upon  the  supernatural  character,  or 
the  miraculous  power  of  Christ ;  neither  are  they 
peculiar  to  him  in  his  character  of  a  teacher  ;  but 
they  are  qualities,  without  which  no  man's  virtue 
can  be  sound,  no  man's  character  perfect  in  prac- 
tice or  in  principle.  They  are  qualities  indispen- 
sable to  man  in  society ;  they  are  not  the  excel- 
lences of  a  recluse,  who  shuns  the  world  to  keep 
himself  pure  ;  they  are  not  the  virtues  of  supere- 
rogation, like  the  practices  of  monks  and  acetics, 
but  they  are  the  essential  constituents  of  a  sub- 
stantially good  character,  proper  for  the  world,  as 
well  as  inseparable  from  greatness  and  elevation 
of  mind.  No  man  can  rise  from  the  study  of  this 
character  and  say,  '  It  is  very  sublime  and  perfect  ; 
but  what  is  that  to  me  ?  The  subject  of  it  moves  in 
a  sphere  which  I  can  never  reach  ;  he  is  a  won- 
derful character,  but  useless  as  an  example  for  the 
purposes  of  life.'  On  the  contrary,  the  Christian 
must  be  satisfied  that  while  he  remains  destitute 
of  any  of  those  principles  of  excellence,  which 
were  exemplified  in  the  life  of  Christ,  he  is  essen- 
tially defective  in  the  christian  character. 

I  cannot  leave  this  subject  without  a  few  more 
remarks  on  what  I  have  called  the  practicableness 
of  the  character  of  Christ  and  the  nature  of  his  in- 
structions. Not  only  did  he  not  affect  singularity 
in  his  mode  of  life,   which  is  the  sure  companion 


EXAMPLE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  079 

of  enthusiasm ;  not  only  did  he  dress,  eat,  con- 
verse like  other  men,  but  he  evidently  suffered  his 
disciples  to  do  the  same.  He  supposes  them  to  fol- 
low some  profession,  to  be  fishermen,  soldiers, 
taxgatherers  ;  to  marry,  to  submit  to  magistrates, 
to  carry  on  their  usual  business,  and,  when  they 
could  be  spared  from  his  service,  to  return  again 
to  their  respective  callings. 

Our  Saviour's  instructions  are  not  like  those  of 
Rousseau,  adapted  to  man  in  an  inconceivable 
state  of  nature,  to  which  this  visionary  enthusiast 
would  recall  them.  They  do  not  require  men,  like 
some  of  the  ancient  Stoics,  to  throw  their  wealth 
into  the  sea,  or  to  inflict  upon  themselves  unnat- 
ural austerities.  But  everything  about  Jesus,  in 
precept  and  practice,  is  mild,  cheering,  great ;  ev- 
erything is  suited  to  the  precise  wants  of  man  in 
society. 

And  in  his  death — who  would  not  submit  to 
crucifixion,  could  he  but  die  in  the  temper  of 
Jesus,  could  he  but  commend  his  spirit  with  such 
confidence  to  God  !  He  has  died  for  us,  that  he 
might  teach  us  how  to  die.  My  friends,  may  his 
courage  fortify  us,  may  his  devotion  warm  our 
hearts,  and  may  we  never  think  his  command- 
ments grievous,    or  his  example  impracticable. 


SERMON  XVIII. 


ON  THE  FRIENDSHIP  OF  OUR  SAVIOUR  FOR  THE  APOSTLE 
JOHN. 


John,  XIII.  23. 

NOW     THERE    WAS    LEANING    ON    JESUS'  BOSOM    ONE    OF    HIS    DISCIPLES, 
WHOM    JESUS    LOVED. 

What  an  expression  is  this  !  The  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved  !  There  was  one  then  in  the  fraternity 
of  apostles,  whom  it  was  not  invidious  to  call  the 
favorite  of  Jesus.  This  beloved  Son  of  the  Al- 
mighty Father,  whose  whole  soul  was  continually 
filled  with  the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking  in 
which  he  was  engaged  for  the  salvation  of  a  world, 
and  at  whom  men  and  angels  were  gazing  with 
admiration  ;  this  Jesus,  who  had  experienced, 
through  the  whole  of  his  ministry,  nothing  but 
scorn  and  ingratitude  from  those  whom  he  came 
to  save,  who  knew  that  he  was  soon  to  be  sacri- 
ficed for  this  hard-hearted  world,  who  was,  at  the 
point  of  time  to  which  our  text  refers,  anticipating 
the  defection  of  his  dearest  friends  and  followers, 
and  touching  upon  those  fearful  scenes  in  which 
his  holy  and  benevolent  life  was  ordained  painful- 


CHRIST'S  FRIENDSHIP  FOR  JOHN.  281 

ly  terminate  ;  in  a  word,  this  friend  of  man,  of 
weak,  lost,  wicked  man,  in  all  ages,  countries,  and 
conditions,  has  himself  one  friend  who  leaned  up- 
on his  bosom,  and  whom  he  best  loved.  What  an 
affection  must  that  have  been,  which  was  not  dor- 
mant in  the  breast  of  Jesus  in  such  an  hour  as 
this! 

Let  us  attend,  first,  to  the  history  and  char- 
acter of  John,  and 

Secondly,  to  the  peculiar  affection  which  ex- 
isted between  him  and  his  Master.  The  reflec- 
tions which  follow  may  throw  some  light  on  the 
nature  and  value  of  that  virtuous  friendship  which 
is  not  inconsistent  with  the  spirit  of  the  gospel. 

I.  It  is  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  modesty  of 
the  New  Testament  writers,  that  they  say  so  little 
of  themselves.  Two  of  the  evangelists,  Matthew 
and  John,  were  admitted  to  the  most  familiar  in- 
tercourse with  Jesus,  and  were  honored  with  the 
gift  of  apostleship  and  its  supernatural  endow- 
ments ;  yet  we  hear  nothing  from  them  of  these 
distinctions.  We  should  not  know,  except  from 
traditional  authority  and  from  undesigned  intima- 
tions, discovered  in  their  writings,  that  they  were 
the  authors  of  the  gospels  which  now  bear  their 
names.  When  they  speak  of  themselves,  it  is  in 
the  third  person  ;  and  then  they  record  their  own 
faults  and  mistakes,  some  of  which  were  of  no 
small  importance,  with  the  most  amiable  ingenu- 
ousness. In  their  love  and  admiration  of  the  Sav- 
iour, whose  history  they  were  writing,  they  seem 
36 


232  SERMON  XVIII. 

to  have  forgotten  themselves,  and  so  completely 
are  the  historians  lost  in  their  subject,  that  if  they 
drop  a  hint  of  themselves,  it  seems  to  be  rather  to 
diminish  our  respect  for  them,  and  to  direct  it  all 
to  their  Master. 

In  the  case  of  John,  it  would  be  especially  grati- 
fying to  know  somewhat  more  of  the  circumstan- 
ces of  his  life,  that  we  might  discover  what  there 
was  in  his  disposition  that  made  him  a  favorite 
with  Jesus.  His  gospel  and  his  epistl  s  seem  to 
be  the  breathings  of  a  soul  full  of  love,  and  we  can 
hardly  believe  that  it  was  this  affectionate  disciple 
who  would  have  called  down  fire  upon  the  village 
of  the  Samaritans,  or  who  petitioned  for  the 
highest  honors  in  his  Master's  expected  kingdom. 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  John  was  the  young- 
est of  the  twelve  disciples.  We  know  that  he  and 
his  brother  James  were  the  sons  of  Zebedee  and 
Salome,  who  is  called  by  one  of  the  Fathers  a 
daughter  of  Joseph,  by  a  former  wife,  and  of  course 
related  to  our  Lord.  This  circumstance,  if  true, 
very  naturally  accounts  for  the  petition  of  their 
mother,  that  her  two  sons  might  sit  on  his  right 
and  left  hand  in  his  kingdom,  as  well  as  for  our 
Saviour's  recommending  to  John,  as  he  was  ex- 
piring, the  care  of  Mary,  his  own  mother.  The 
youth,  the  tenderness,  the  consanguinity  of  John, 
no  doubt  then,  kept  him  near  the  person  of  our 
Saviour  while  he  lived,  and  generated  that  pecu- 
liar attachment,  which,  in  this  favored  disciple, 
would  not  allow  him  entirely  to  desert  his  Master 


CHRIST'S  FRIENDSHIP  FOR  JOHN.  283 

in  the  hours  of  his  anguish  and  dissolution.  It  is 
true  that  upon  our  Saviour's  arrest,  all  the  disci- 
ples forsook  him  and  fled ;  hut  John,  and  John 
alone,  as  far  as  we  know,  returned  and  stood  near 
the  cross,  watching  the  departing  spirit  as  it  lin- 
gered on  his  lips,  while  he  commended  his  weep- 
ing mother  to  this  disciple,  and  his  enemies  to 
God.  John  saw  the  body  laid  in  the  sepulchre, 
he  was  with  Peter  and  visited  it  after  the  resurrec- 
tion, and  he  was  present  at  all  the  appearances  of 
our  Lord  to  his  disciples. 

By  this  evangelist  is  recorded  an  interesting 
conversation  after  the  resurrection,  in  which  our 
Saviour  tried  the  love  of  the  fallen  and  repentant 
Peter,  and  predicted  his  martyrdom.  But  Peter 
was  curious  to  know  what  should  be  the  fate  of 
John.  '  Lord,'  said  he,  '  what  shall  this  man  do  ?' 
Jesus  saith  unto  him,  '  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I 
come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ?  Follow  thou  me. 
Then  went  this  saying  abroad  among  the  disciples, 
that  this  disciple  should  not  die.'  Thus  was  Pe- 
ter's curiosity  rebuked,  and  the  fate  of  John  ren- 
dered an  object  of  attention. 

From  the  concurrent  testimony  of  ecclesiastical 
historians,  he  alone  of  all  the  apostles  appears  to 
have  survived  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  There 
are  many  stories  related  of  him  by  christian  wri- 
ters, to  which  we  are  not  authorised  to  give  im- 
plicit belief.  There  is  one,  however,  which  is  so 
characteristic,  and  so  much  in  the  spirit  of  his 
epistles,  that  we  are  willing  to  admit  it  on  the 


284  SERMON  XVIII. 

high  authority  of  Jerome.  '  The  blessed  apostle 
John,'  says  he,  'living  at  Ephesus  to  extreme  old 
age,  and  being  with  difficulty  carried  to  church  in 
the  arms  of  the  disciples,  and  being  unable  to 
make  a  long  discourse,  every  time  they  assembled 
was  wont  to  say  nothing  but  this,  "  Little  children, 
love  one  another."  At  length  the  disciples  and 
brethren  who  attended,  tired  with  hearing  so  often 
the  same  thing,  said,  "  Sir,  why  do  you  always  say 
this  ?"  Who  then  made  this  answer,  worthy  of  him- 
self; "Because,"  says  he,  "  it  is  the  Lord's  com- 
mand, and  if  that  alone  be  done,  it  is  sufficient.'"* 
II.  I  proposed,  secondly,  to  illustrate  the  affec- 
tion which  subsisted  between  Jesus  and  his  disci- 
ples, and  especially  that  which  he  felt  towards 
John.  Turn  your  thoughts  towards  that  last  sup- 
per, when  the  Saviour  of  the  world  sat  surrounded 
by  his  disciples.  He  knew  that  they  had  followed 
him  hitherto,  rather  from  interested  than  from  af- 
fectionate motives.  He  knew  that  they  expected 
from  him  gifts  and  distinctions  which  he  would 
not  and  could  not  bestow,  and  were  even  at  that 
moment  mistaken  as  to  the  nature  and  true  char- 
acter and  purpose  of  his  mission.  He  knew  also, 
that  they  would  forsake  him  as  soon  as  he  was 
completely  in  the  power  of  his  enemies ;  that  one 
of  them  would  deny  him  ;  that  another  would  be- 
tray him,  and  that  all,  as  soon  as  their  favorite 
expectations  were  disappointed,  would  prove  timid 
and  faithless.     The  very  disciple  who  was  leaning 

*  Lardner,  chap.  CXIV.  Sec.  VIII.  4.  3.  in  vol.  5,  page  42.  Ed.  1788, 


CHRIST'S  FRIENDSHIP  FOR  JOHN.  285 

on  his  bosom,  and  who  loved  him  best,  he  foresaw 
would  yield  to  his  fears ;  and  yet,  with  all  this 
knowledge  of  his  desertion,  his  love  to  this  little 
family,  not  one  of  whom  had  any  claims  upon  his 
affection,  was  undiminished  and  stronger  than 
death.  He  pours  out  for  them  that  affectionate 
prayer,  which  the  angels  who  waited  listening 
around  him,  might  carry  with  them,  weeping,  to 
heaven. 

What  a  soul  must  his  have  been,  my  hearers, 
which  was  at  the  same  moment  filled  with  that 
vast  object,  the  redemption  of  a  world,  and  yet 
had  a  place  left  for  twelve  such  disciples  !  which 
could  discover  such  tenderness  for  these  timid  and 
ignorant  companions,  just  as  he  was  himself  en- 
tering on  a  scene  of  suffering,  the  solitary  con- 
templation of  which,  in  the  garden  of  Gethsem- 
ane,  threw  him  afterwards  into  such  a  fearful 
agony  !  But  in  the  presence  of  these  twelve 
friends  he  seemed  to  be  thinking  of  nothing  but 
of  the  sufferings  which  they  were  to  encounter, 
of  the  death  which  they  were  to  suffer  in  his  cause, 
and  the  distressing  uncertainty  and  terror  into 
which  they  would  be  thrown,  when  they  saw  his 
fate  was  inevitable.  He  spends,  therefore,  the 
last  moments  of  his  most  precious  life  in  elevat- 
ing and  fortifying  the  humble  minds  of  these  men, 
in  imparting  to  their  weak  spirits  a  portion  of  his 
own  views  and  hopes ;  nay,  more,  in  praying  for 
them  that  their  strength  might  not  fail,  that  they 
might  be  one  with  him  as  he  was  one  with  his 


236  SERMON  XVIII. 

Father.  '  Having  loved  his  own,  which  were  with 
him  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  to  the  end.'  Oh 
how  enviable  was  the  lot  of  the  young  John,  to 
lean  on  such  a  breast  as  this,  to  be  the  friend 
of  such  a  friend  ! 

In  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ  we  see  the  highest 
state  of  perfection  in  which  the  particular  and 
universal  affections  can  coexist  in  the  same  heart. 
We  see  a  scope  of  love  which  embraced  the  whole 
interests  of  humanity,  and  yet  contracted  itself  to 
the  friendship  of  an  individual ;  a  spirit  which 
could  weep,  at  the  same  time,  for  the  miseries  of 
a  world  and  for  the  impending  destruction  of  a  sin- 
gle city;  and  which  yet,  with  all  this  enlargement 
of  views  and  strength  of  sympathy,  retained  the 
most  exquisite  sensibility  to  the  personal  sufferings 
and  infirmities  of  our  sensitive  nature.  When  we 
look  at  the  example  of  Jesus,  our  perplexing  dis- 
putes about  selfishness  and  disinterestedness,  about 
universal  and  particular  affections,  seem  at  once 
resolved ;  inconsistences  and  difficulties  vanish, 
and  we  see  how,  in  a  well  regulated  mind,  all  the 
affections,  private  and  public,  may  be  preserved 
in  perfect  harmony,  each  in  its  proper  sphere,  ex- 
ercise, and  intensity,  never  interfering  because 
properly  subordinated  to  each  other,  and  all  hap- 
pily adjusted  to  the  nature  and  circumstances  of 
such  a  being  as  man. 

The  only  difference,  except  in  degree,  which 
appears  to  have  existed  in  these  affections,  as  they 
were  found  in  Jesus,  and  as  they  arc  found  in  his 


CHRIST'S  FRIENDSHIP  FOR  JOHN.  287 

disciples,  is,  that  in  the  latter  the  most  general 
affections  are  derived  at  last  by  degrees  from  the 
more  private.  These,  in  our  minds,  are  first  gen- 
erated by  the  circumstances  in  which  we  find  our- 
selves from  our  birth.  But  in  our  Saviour,  the  or- 
der appears  to  have  been  reversed  ;  for  in  his 
mind  every  act  of  love  and  kindness,  every  limit- 
ed exercise  of  affection,  seems  to  be  only  a  sensi- 
ble expression  of  that  general  philanthropy,  with 
which  his  mighty  soul  was  originally  and  contin- 
ually filled.  What  in  us  is  always  imperfect,  be- 
cause formed  by  insensible  degrees,  seems  in  him 
to  have  been  always  perfect  and  unlimited.  Ours 
is  the  affection  of  mortals  ;  his  was  that  love  of 
God  which  passeth  knowledge.  It  was  the  same 
spirit,  which,  although  in  that  well  known  hour  of 
solitude  and  prayer,  it  seemed  absorbed  in  the  dread 
of  crucifixion,  so  that  the  sweat  ran  down  like 
drops  of  blood,  through  anguish  and  sorrow — for 
he  felt  as  a  man — yet,  when  he  was  in  the  actual 
horrors  of  crucifixion,  and  probably  at  the  period 
of  the  most  exquisite  bodily  pain,  caused  the 
strength  of  his  filial  affection  to  burst  through  his  an- 
guish, and  commend  his  mother  to  his  friend  John, 
that  mother,  in  whose  presence  he  had  lately  said 
with  apparent  insensibility,  '  If  any  man  will  fol- 
low me,  and  hate  not  his  father  and  mother  and 
wife  and  children,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple.' 

As  we  proceed,  we  find  him  cherishing  the 
fondest  feelings  towards  John,  his  relation,  and 
towards  Lazarus  and   his  two  sisters.     He  was  in 


288  SERMON  XVIII. 

the  habit  of  taking  Peter  and  James  and  John 
apart  with  him  in  those  seasons  when  he  was  to 
enjoy  and  suffer  most.  Thus  we  discover  the  na- 
ture of  his  attachment,  that  it  was  really  a  partic- 
ular fondness  for  these  individuals,  especially  for 
John.  Yet  he  could  say  to  these  very  favorites, 
1  Jf  ye  love  them  who  love  you,  what  reward  have 
ye  ?  for  sinners  also  love  those  who  love  them.' 
If  we  ascend  yet  higher  in  the  scale  of  his  affec- 
tions, we  discover  an  ardent  degree  of  patriotism 
in  his  pathetic  strains  of  lamentation  over  a  city 
which  had  rejected  him.  '  Oh  Jerusalem  !  Jeru- 
salem !  hadst  thou  but  known,  in  this  thy  day,  the 
things  that  belong  unto  thy  peace  !  How  often 
would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together  as  a 
hen  gathers  her  chickens,  under  her  wings  ;  but 
ye  would  not!'  And  yet,  while  he  was  thus  la- 
menting the  fate  of  his  countrymen,  his  imagina- 
tion was  filled  with  the  grand  forethought  of  the 
innumerable  multitude,  who  should  come  from  the 
east  and  from  the  west,  from  the  north  and  from 
the  south,  to  sit  down  in  the  kingdom  of  God, 
while  his  own  people  should  be  cast  out. 

The  reflections  which  we  shall  offer  you  on 
this  subject  are  not  many. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  how  astonishing  is  the  in- 
considerateness  of  those  unbelievers,  who  have  at- 
tempted to  raise  an  objection  to  the  relig  on  of 
Christ,  from  the  circumstance  that  the  gospel  no- 
where expressly  enjoins  the  virtues  of  patriotism 
and  friendship.     This  objection  was  first  suggest- 


CHRIST'S  FRIENDSHIP  FOR  JOHN.  289 

ed,  in  his  insidious  manner,  by  the  Earl  of  Shafts- 
bury  ;  and,  what  is  yet  more  extraordinary,  Soame 
Jenyns,  in  an  eloquent  defence  of  Christianity, 
has  produced  the  very  omission  of  these  virtues, 
as  one  proof  of  the  divine  origin  of  the  gospel  mo- 
rality, merely  because  they  are  qualities  so  much 
esteemed  among  men,  and  therefore  would  not 
have  been  omitted  in  any  scheme  of  moral  pre- 
cepts of  which  men  were  the  framers. 

With  the  virtue  of  patriotism  we  are  not  at 
present  concerned  ;  but  it  is  indeed  extraordinary 
that  any  one,  after  having  read  the  history  of  our 
Saviour,  should  represent  either  of  these  virtues  as 
irreconcilable  with  the  spirit,  or  unprovided  for  in 
the  system  of  Christianity.  Did  they  not  remem- 
ber that  touching  scene  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus, 
that  friend  whom  Jesus  loved  ?  Did  they  not  re- 
member how  he  wept,  so  that  even  the  Jews  ex- 
claimed, '  Behold  how  he  loved  him  ?  '  Could  they 
have  remembered  his  tender  consolation  of  the  two 
afflicted  sisters,  and  the  domestic  endearments  in 
which  he  shared  with  that  interesting  family,  after 
he  had  restored  their  brother  to  life,  and  yet  could 
they  say  that  Jesus  esteemed  these  particular  at- 
tachments false  and  fictitious  virtues  ? 

But  it  is  said  that  friendship  is  nowhere  express- 
ly recommended  to  us  in  the  New  Testament. 
True,  it  is  not;  and  here  I  think  is  a  singular 
proof  of  the  thorough  knowledge  which  our  Sa- 
viour possessed  of  the  human  heart,  and  especially 
of  the  nature  of  our  virtuous  affections.     For  is  it 


290  SERMON  XVIII. 

not  easy  to  see,  that  it  would  have  been  absurd  to 
enjoin  particular  friendship  upon  any  man,  as  a 
necessary  part  of  his  christian  or  moral  character  ? 
That  which  is  peculiar  to  this  attachment,  as  it  is 
distinguished  from  general  good  will,  is  not  any- 
thing which  depends  upon  a  man's  voluntary  ex- 
ertions. No  man  can  go  out  into  the  world  and 
say,  '  I  will  have  a  friend.'  This,  like  other  con- 
nexions in  life,  often  depends  upon  circumstances 
beyond  our  control.  It  depends  not  merely  upon 
a  man's  general  benevolence  of  character,  but 
upon  a  fortunate  consent  of  affections  and  har- 
mony of  interests,  which  a  man  may  live  long  in 
the  world  and  not  be  so  happy  as  to  meet.  It  re- 
quires such  a  concert  of  tastes  and  passions,  such 
a  length  and  frequency  of  intercourse,  such  a  can- 
dor and  unreservedness  of  mind,  as  we  may  not 
easily  find  or  command  in  thousands  whom  yet 
we  greatly  esteem,  and  in  many  more  with  whom 
we  are  disposed  to  live  on  the  common  terms  of 
peace  and  good  neighbourhood.  To  have  enjoin- 
ed then  a  social  attachment  like  this  as  a  subject  of 
duty,  or  as  an  essential  obligation  on  every  man, 
whatever  may  be  his  circumstances,  is  an  absurd- 
ity of  which  Jesus  and  his  disciples  could  not 
have  been  guilty ;  and  yet  this  omission  has  been 
charged  upon  the  friend  of  John  and  Lazarus  as  a 
defect  in  his  religion.  Many,  I  doubt  not,  are  the 
Christians,  who  have  passed  through  this  world  of 
frequent  changes  and  various  characters,  and  yet 
have  never  chanced  to  find  a  real   friend.     Many 


CHRIST'S  FRIENDSHIP  FOR  JOHN.  o<j  [ 

more  arc  there,  who  have  wept  over  the  grave  of 
some  one,  long  known  and  loved,  but  alas !  as 
they  had  not  the  power  to  awake  him  from  his 
slumbers,  so  too  they  have  not  had  the  good  for- 
tune afterwards  to  replace  him. 

2.  The  second  reflection,  which  I  shall  make, 
is,  that  if  we  would  practise  this  virtue,  if  it  must 
be  so  named,  in  all  its  purity,  and  enjoy  our  fond- 
est attachments  in  perfection,  we  must  call  in  to 
our  aid  the  religion  of  Christ.  Tell  us  not  of  the 
heroic  friendships  of  ancient  story,  when  it  was 
thought  generous  to  sacrifice  a  whole  nation  for 
an  injury  to  a  friend,  and  when  the  duties  of  this 
attachment  were  exalted  above  all  other  obliga- 
tions, and  allowed  to  break  every  other  tie,  and 
benevolence  itself  was  lost  in  the  pretended  des- 
potism of  private  love.  Tell  us  not  of  those 
modern  connexions,  which  demand  of  us  in  honor 
to  sacrifice  one  man's  life  to  vindicate  another's 
name  from  false  imputations,  nor  of  the  numerous 
pitiful  unions  of  wicked  men,  for  purposes  of  in- 
terest or  indulgence,  conviviality  or  temporary 
convenience.  These  have  as  little  to  do  with  af- 
fection, as  with  religion.  True  christian  regard 
is  as  different  from  all  this,  as  lust  from  pure  love, 
or  bodily  strength  from  real  courage.  The  only 
perfect  union  of  minds  will  be  that  which  is  ani- 
mated, corrected,  and  matured  by  the  evangelical 
spirit  of  Christianity.  Why  ?  Because  their  faith 
and  hopes  are  not  only  one  through  their  present 
destiny,  but  because  man  has  interests  and  hopes 


292  SERMON  XVIII. 

in  eternity,  dearer  and  greater  than  any  temporal 
well-being,  and  that  union  of  minds  into  which 
eternity  enters  not,  and  makes  no  part  of  their 
common  hopes,  must  be  essentially  defective ;  be- 
cause this  idea,  rendering  the  affection  which  it 
influences  more  sublime  and  more  interesting, 
must  make  it  superior  to  any  temporary  union  of 
views  and  purposes,  how  many  years  soever  may 
have  cemented  it.  You  anticipate  the  company 
of  your  friend  tomorrow  ;  the  Christian,  not  to- 
morrow only,  but  forever.  He  does  not  lose  sight 
of  him  through  the  long  range  of  a  future  exist- 
ance. 

Further  ;  the  essential  temper  of  Christianity  is 
self-distrust;  and  it  is  the  very  charm  of  friend- 
ship to  love  to  repose  on  another's  knowledge  and 
affection.  The  greatest  foe  of  grace  is  pride ; 
and  pride  also  cannot  coexist  with  generous,  un- 
disguised, unqualified  affection.  Again;  it  is  the 
object  of  the  gospel  to  wear  off  the  dissocial 
points  of  our  character,  to  unite  our  conflicting 
interests  and  hostile  passions,  and  to  endue  us 
with  that  temper  which  is  not  easily  provoked 
and  which  thinketh  no  evil.  It  is  also  the  ten- 
dency of  our  religion  to  exhaust  those  sources  of 
jealousy  and  distrust,  which  so  often  embitter  our 
tenderest  and  dearest  connexions.  A  Christian, 
knowing  his  own  infirmities,  will  not  expect  too 
much,  even  from  him  he  loves  best.  He  has  none 
of  that  pride  which  takes  offence  at  fancied  neg- 
lects, and  he  sees  the  folly  and  the  sin  of  requir- 


CHRIST'S  FRIENDSHIP  FOR  JOHN.  293 

insr  from  another  such  an  illiberal  attachment  to 
himself,  as  shall  confine  all  his  sacrifices  to  him, 
and  exclude  the  rest  of  the  world  from  his 
attention.  It  therefore  appears  to  me  that  to 
make  friendship  perfect,  Christianity  was  necessa- 
ry ;  because  this  alone  teaches  us  the  sinfulness 
of  wishing  for  such  a  monopoly  of  affection,  as  is 
demanded  by  some  narrow  minds,  and  is  so  con- 
trary to  the  genius  of  the  gospel. 

Why  do  we  see  so  many  ruptures  of  amity  in 
the  circle  of  our  acquaintance  ?  Is  it  not  in  many 
cases  from  a  selfish  and  excessive  jealousy  of  af- 
fection, inconsistent  with  the  true  sentiment  of 
benevolence  ?  Still  further  ;  the  true  Christian  is 
the  best  master  of  his  passions,  and  thus  he  avoids 
a  perpetual  danger,  on  which  the  most  ardent 
minds  are  apt  to  fall  asunder,  and  their  love  to 
change  to  aversion.  It  is  a  painful  thought  to  fall 
out  by  the  way,  when  we  have  the  long  path  of 
eternity  to  travel  together. 

In  fine,  where  the  affection  between  two  minds 
is  not  influenced  by  a  sense  of  a  present  and  all 
gracious  Father  in  Heaven  ;  where  the  tomb,  when 
it  has  closed  upon  one  of  them,  is  thought  to  have 
separated  them  forever ;  where  they  have  no  com- 
munion of  mind  upon  the  most  interesting  of  hu- 
man contemplations,  God,  Jesus,  and  the  life  tc 
come  ;  where  the  all-sanctifying  grace  of  the  gos- 
pel does  not  mould  their  desires,  correct  and  unite 
their  dispositions  in  humility  and  christian  love, 
there  may  be  fondness,  there  may  be  satisfaction, 


094  SERMON  XVIII. 

there  may  be  partiality,  but  there  is  not  friendship, 
such  as  it  existed  between  Jesus  and  John  ;  such 
in  fact  as  that  for  which  Jesus  prayed,  when  he 
said,  '  Holy  Father,  keep  through  thine  own  name 
those  whom  thou  hast  given  me,  that  they  may 
be  one,  as  we  are  one.' 

My  christian  friends,  if  you  have  found  one, 
who  leans  on  your  breast,  and  you  are  not  afraid 
that  he  should  listen  to  the  secrets  that  disturb 
it ;  if  wisdom  and  virtue  have  directed  you  to  him  ; 
if  ardent  love  of  truth,  generous  accommodation 
to  each  other,  fear  of  God,  attachment  to  his  gos- 
pel, and  hope  of  everlasting  life  have  bound  you 
together,  cherish  such  a  union  of  minds.  The 
grace  of  Jesus  Christ  will  temper  every  desire  of 
your  hearts,  and  mellow  your  affections  by  the 
gentle  influences  of  his  gospel.  Your  interests 
will  more  closely  intertwine  as  you  draw  nearer  to 
the  grave,  and  become  more  detached  from  the 
surrounding  distractions  of  the  world,  and  the 
tomb,  when  it  closes  upon  you,  shall  not  separate 
you,  for  as  God  is  true,  they  that  sleep  in  Jesus 
he  will  bring  with  him.  Jesus,  who  once  raised  a 
friend  from  the  tomb,  will  not  let  it  close  forever 
on  those  who  love  him,  and  who  love  like  him. 


SERMON  XIX. 


ON  SELF-EXAMINATION. 
A    DISCOURSE    PREACHED    OX    THE    LAST    DAY    OF    THE    YEAR. 

Luke,  XVI.  2. 

GtVE    AN    ACCOUNT    OF    THY    STEWARDSHIP. 

Once  more  a  day  has  arrived  which  reminds  us 
of  the  astonishing  flight  of  our  time.  And  of 
what  time  ?  Of  that  brief  space  in  which  is 
crowded  the  whole  scene  of  our  mortal  probation  ; 
that  momentary  space  in  which  is  determined  the 
everlasting  destiny  of  man.  I  tremble  when  I  think 
that  we  are  now  taking  an  eternal  leave  of  one 
more  of  those  few  years  that  are  allotted  to  the 
life  of  man.  Man  fleeth  as  a  shadow,  and  contin- 
ueth  not.  Let  us  employ  the  fleeting  moments  of 
this  day  in  reflecting  upon  the  poverty  of  human 
existence,  before  it  escapes  and  shuts  up  forever 
the  closing  year. 

Why  is  it  that  the  points  and  bounds  of  our  pas- 
sing time,  when  they  present  themselves,  aflfect  us 
so  unpleasantly,  and  spread  such  a  gloom  over  our 
meditations  ?     Is  it  that  we  were  not  aware  of  the 


296 


SERMON  XIX. 


approach  of  this  last  day  of  another  year  ?  No, 
surely  ;  for  every  departing  week,  every  setting 
sun  has  given  us  an  admonition  of  this  day,  and 
has  prepared  us  for  its  arrival.  Is  it  because  this 
day  informs  us  how  old  we  are,  and  that  we  are 
so  much  nearer  to  the  close  of  life  ?  No,  surely  ; 
for  every  other  day  has  told  us  the  same  truth,  and 
besides  this,  who  is  there  but  imagines  that  he  has 
many  years  to  live  ?  No,  my  friends  ;  it  is  because 
this  day  awakens  our  sleeping  recollection  and 
brings  up  the  story  of  our  lives.  It  is  because 
this  day  interrogates  us  with  more  than  common 
solemnity,  What  account  can  you  give  of  the  year 
that  is  past  ?  It  summons  us  to  look  into  our 
characters,  our  families  ;  to  examine  the  posture  of 
our  affairs  with  regard  to  the  great  objects  of  our 
existence  on  earth,  and  something  whispers  that 
all  is  not  right,  and  that  if  we  can  shut  our  eyes 
without  apprehension,  it  is  no  longer  without  peril. 
This,  this  it  is,  which  gives  this  day  its  terrors. 
The  sun  rises  as  surely,  the  face  of  nature  is  the 
same,  the  provision  for  our  life  is  as  sure  and  regu- 
lar as  ever ;  but  yet  a  voice  seems  to  issue  from 
the  closing  portals  of  the  year,  '  Give  an  account 
of  thy  stewardship,'  and  a  secret  alarm  steals  over 
the  mind  at  the  consequences  of  our  delay. 

Since,  then,  we  have  reached,  by  God's  blessing, 
so  favorable  a  spot  for  reflection,  let  us  devote  this 
opportunity  to  severe  self-examination.  To  assist 
you  in  this  duty,  which,  though  painful,  must  not 
therefore  be  avoided,  allow  me  to  suggest  to  you 


SELF  EXAMINATION.  097 

some  subjects  of  inquiry.  In  doing  this,  I  would 
not  assume  the  office  of  an  inquisitor,  nor  even 
that  of  a  monitor  ;  but  only  give  some  refreshment 
to  your  memories,  and  some  direction  to  your 
meditations. 

In  this  review  of  our  character  and  situation  we 
must,  if  we  would  do  it  usefully  and  effectually, 
limit  ourselves  to  some  definite  periods  of  time, 
and  portions  of  our  conduct.  There  is  nothing 
more  proper  than  to  confine  it  to  the  year  that  is 
past,  and  to  consider  the  state  of  our  minds  and 
hearts,  our  domestic,  our  social,  and  our  religious 
condition. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  when  we  examine  the  im- 
provement we  have  made,  at  any  time,  in  mind 
and  disposition,  there  presents  itself  to  our  view 
a  meagre  account  of  our  mental  treasures,  and  an 
humbling  sense  of  our  defects  of  temper.  Do  we 
find  that  we  have  supplied  during  the  last  year  the 
chasms  and  vacuities  of  our  knowledge,  or  are  we 
yet  as  ignorant  as  ever  of  many  things  most  impor- 
tant to  acquire  ?  Have  we  set  apart  a  portion  of 
our  leisure  to  the  cultivation  of  our  understand- 
ings ?  Have  the  difficulties,  for  instance,  which 
have  hitherto  obstructed  our  faith,  or  kept  alive 
our  prejudices  against  Christianity,  been  honestly 
examined  and  fairly  removed,  or  do  we  remain  as 
ignorant  of  God  and  of  his  gospel,  as  at  any  former 
period?  Though  many  incidents  we  meet  with, 
arouse  a  temporary  interest  in  religion,  have  we 
taken  pains  to  preserve  this  interest  and  to  follow 
38 


298  SERMON  XIX. 

the  light  which  has  sometimes  darted  across  our 
path,  or  have  we  sunk  back  again  into  the  darkness 
which  usually  envelopes  our  meditations  ?  If,  on  the 
contrary,  while  we  have  increased  in  years,  the 
memory  and  the  sentiment  of  the  most  important 
truths  in  religion  have  been  fading  away,  can  we 
be  satisfied  with  such  a  state  of  mind,  even  though 
on  other  subjects  we  may  have  learnt  much,  and 
have  added  to  our  experience  in  politics,  litera- 
ture, and  the  conduct  of  life  ?  The  subjects  relat- 
ing to  our  religion  and  to  our  duties,  are  vast  and 
impressive,  and  they  cannot  be  learnt  at  a  glance. 
Let  us  not  go  through  another  year  in  all  the  pre- 
sumptuousness  of  ignorance ;  upon  subjects,  too, 
which  in  a  single  hour  may  burst  upon  our  unpre- 
pared minds  with  all  the  terrible  certainty  of  anoth- 
er life. 

Again ;  can  we  discover  during  the  last  year 
any  melioration  of  our  tempers,  and  any  improve- 
ment of  our  habits?  We  have  formerly  suffered 
much  sordid  attachment  to  wealth.  Are  we  disen- 
gaged from  this  slavery  ?  We  have  sometimes  felt 
the  stings  of  envy,  and  the  troubles  of  vanity,  peev- 
ishness, and  discontent.  Are  we  yet  free  from 
these  miserable  tormentors,  or  are  we  at  this  mo- 
ment suffering  as  much  as  ever  from  envy,  pride, 
disappointment,  and  unsatisfied  desires  ?  Are  the 
resentments  which  we  once  felt,  at  last  extinguish- 
ed ;  and  has  the  coldness  which  we  have  indulg- 
ed towards  some  men,  given  place  to  more  cordial 
sentiments  ?     The  thought  of  death  has  perhaps 


SELF-EXAMINATION.  299 

occurred  to  us  often  as  we  have  grown  older.  Do 
we  look  forward  to  it  with  more  tranquillity,  or 
are  we  still  putting  far  away  the  evil  day,  afraid  to 
think  of  it,  and  trembling  lest  it  should  arrest  us 
in  the  midst  of  a  life  of  acknowledged  sinfulness? 
God  has  continued  us  another  year.  But  have  we 
broken  off  those  doubtful  habits  which  our  con- 
sciences did  not  approve,  or  have  we  this  year 
begun  those  habits  of  personal  religion,  which  we 
have  before  neglected,  or  renewed  and  invigorat- 
ed those  which  have  been  omitted  ?  If  we  have 
not  kept  up  our  private  devotions,  if,  by  being 
more  immersed  in  occupation,  we  have  lost  sight 
of  God,  now  is  the  time  to  call  up  these  solemn 
subjects,  to  repair  these  alarming  defects,  and 
with  truly  penitent  hearts  to  acknowledge  the  af- 
flicting truth,  that  we  have  fallen  off  from  the  only 
support  of  our  unworthy  lives,  and  to  return  to 
him  with  humiliation  and  prayer. 

2.  In  the  second  place,  let  us  examine  our  do- 
mestic character,  and  see  how  we  have  fulfilled, 
during  the  last  year,  this  social  relation.  Far  be 
it  from  me  to  indulge  an  idle  curiosity  ;  I  would 
only  lead  you  to  look  towards  that  quarter,  where 
you  will  be  likely  to  make  the  most  important  dis- 
coveries. Are  you  satisfied  then,  with  your  habits 
of  domestic  life  ?  Is  a  large  portion  of  your  leis- 
ure faithfully  devoted  to  those  parental  obliga- 
tions, fcr  which  you  must  account  with  God,  the 
great  parent,  and  with  the  great  family  of  which 
you  are  a  part  ?     You    have  sometimes,    I   doubt 


300  SERMON  XIX. 

not,  resolved  with  true  affection  to  devote  your- 
selves in  earnest  to  the  religious  cultivation  of  the 
minds  of  your  children.  Has  this  been  regularly 
and  seriously  undertaken,  or  have  your  attentions 
to  them  been  slight  and  unproductive  of  good, 
because  you  were  soon  weary  of  the  task,  and 
finally  relinquished,  because  it  seemed  burthen- 
some  and  vexatious  ?  Another  year  they  have 
lived  under  your  roof;  another  year  has  exposed 
them  to  new  temptations.  Have  you  done  anything 
for  them  for  which  they  will  thank  you  forever  ? 
Is  your  family  a  scene  of  real  quiet,  of  content- 
ment, of  intellectual  pleasure,  of  habitual  religion? 
or  are  your  occupations  at  home  frivolous,  your 
pleasures  unsparingly  introduced,  your  expenses 
lavished  without  rule,  your  time  dissipated  with- 
out economy,  and  your  home  the  theatre  of  fool- 
ish and  unprofitable  occupations,  all  introduced  to 
banish  thought  and  solitude,  and  make  you  forget 
that  you  are  at  home  ?  Do  you  know  the  habits 
your  children  are  forming,  the  examples  they  see, 
the  companions  they  cherish,  and  the  employ- 
ments in  which  they  engage  when  they  are  out  of 
your  sight  ?  Have  you  this  year  introduced  any 
improvements  in  your  domestic  arrangements  by 
which  you  have  supplied  former  defects  and  cor- 
rected former  errors  ?  Is  God,  the  God  of  your 
fathers,  the  God  of  your  children,  on  whom  you 
depend  every  hour  for  your  own  life,  and  the  lives 
of  those  who  are  dearest  to  you  in  the  world,  is 
he  yet  invoked  within  your  walls  ? 


SELF-EXAMINATION.  301 

3.  In  the  third  place,  let  us  examine  our  social 
character.  Within  the  last  year  the  wealth  of 
some  of  you  has  perhaps  increased,  and  your 
means  of  doing  good  have  of  course  been  extend- 
ed. Has  your  bounty  also  been  enlarged  ?  In- 
stead of  applying  this  year  your  superfluous  wealth 
to  the  purposes  of  your  avarice  or  your  pleasure, 
have  you  devoted  it  more  sacredly  than  before  to 
higher  and  more  generous  purposes  ?  Can  you, 
amid  your  reflections,  repose  sweetly  on  the  in- 
stances of  real  good  which  you  have  been  the 
means  of  producing,  or  does  the  last  year  present 
the  miserable  blank  of  a  selfish  and  wordly  life  ? 

When  we  consider,  too,  how  various  and  fre- 
quent, within  a  single  year,  are  the  means  of  doing 
good,  our  memory  must  reproach  us  with  some 
omissions  which  nothing  but  necessity  could  ex- 
cuse. Is  no  one  now  suffering  from  our  neglect? 
Has  no  one  been  wounded  by  our  ill  treatment, 
distressed  by  our  carelessness,  or  seduced  by  our 
example  ?  Have  we  made  honest  and  full  repara- 
tion for  the  wrongs  which  we  have  either  wilfully 
or  inadvertently  committed  ?  Have  we  been  re- 
conciled to  those  with  whom  we  have  quarrelled, 
and  are  we  now  at  peace  with  our  neighbours  and 
with  our  own  hearts  ? 

Are  you  satisfied  with  the  last  year's  discharge 
of  your  various  social  duties,  as  a  citizen,  a  friend, 
a  professional  man,  a  supporter  of  the  good  insti- 
tutions of  society  ?  Have  you  withheld  no  one's 
dues,  sacrificed  no  man's  good  name,  equivocated 


302  SERMON  XIX. 

in  no  one's  cause,  imposed  on  no  one's  credulity, 
stood  in  the  way  of  no  one's  happiness  ?  Have 
you  never  shrunk  from  your  duty,  because  it  was 
difficult  or  dangerous,  and  drawn  back  when  you 
might  save  another  from  ruin,  lest  you  should 
expose  yourself  to  censure  or  to  trouble  ? 

Lastly ;  How  stands  your  religious  character  ? 
Are  you  more  devotional  and  heavenly-minded  in 
your  dispositions,  more  truly  religious  in  your 
habits  ?  When  you  have  attended  on  the  public 
worship  of  God,  has  it  been  with  a  more  solemn 
sense  of  the  presence  of  the  great  God  whom  we 
here  approach,  or  do  you  still  regard  it  as  a  practice 
due  only  to  your  sense  of  decorum,  and  required 
by  the  habits  of  the  community,  a  practice  which 
you  omit  when  you  can  ?  The  sense  of  the  obli- 
gation of  public  worship  is  entirely  distinct  from 
the  pleasure,  which  you  may  happen  to  receive 
from  a  preacher ;  and  you  are  not  to  measure 
your  true  character  as  worshippers  of  God,  by 
the  curiosity  or  any  other  selfish  motive,  which 
may  bring  you  here.  Have  you  taken  care  to  cor- 
rect any  impropriety  in  your  attendance  on  these 
duties  of  prayer  and  praise  to  God  ?  For  the  real 
character  of  men's  minds  will  discover  itself  in 
many  neglects  and  irregularities,  in  which  a  truly 
serious  man  will  never  allow  himself,  although  the 
world  may  notwithstanding  give  him  the  praise  of 
reputable  deportment. 

One  year  more  is  just  going,  and  with  it  how 
many  golden  opportunities  are  taking  their  flight. 


SELF-EXAMINATION  3Q3 

and  you  call  after  them  in  vain  !  Are  you  satisfied 
with  the  religious  progress  you  have  made  ?  Of 
your  prayers  how  many  have  fallen  ineffectual 
from  your  lips,  and  how  many,  from  your  wander- 
ing habit  of  mind,  have  never  reached  the  throne 
of  God  ?  Can  you  take  pleasure  in  the  progress 
of  the  divine  life  in  your  souls,  in  the  new  views 
that  open  upon  you,  in  the  new  hopes  that  cheer 
you,  in  the  peace  of  your  hearts  in  communion 
with  God  ?  You  have  perhaps  had  some  afflic- 
tions ;  how  have  you  improved  them  ?  some  disap- 
pointments ;  how  have  you  met  them  ?  some  new 
intimations  of  your  own  departure  from  the  world  ; 
how  have  they  operated  upon  your  thoughts? 

Every  man  must  appropriate  these  inquiries  to 
his  own  peculiar  circumstances.  They  are  hints 
only,  too  general  to  make  a  deep  impression,  with- 
out our  personal  attention.  Do  you  call  it  imperti- 
nence in  the  preacher  ?  The  examination  must 
at  some  time  be  made,  and  what  opportunity  is 
more  favorable  than  the  present  ?  It  will  be  in- 
conceivably dangerous  for  us  to  live  on  from  year 
to  year  always  deferring  this  scrutiny.  Our  per- 
plexity will  every  day  increase,  our  debts  will  ac- 
cumulate, and  yet  the  voice,  '  Give  an  account  of 
thy  stewardship,'  will  be  heard  by  every  man.  And 
will  there  be  another  opportunity?  Thou,  Lord, 
only  knowest!  thou,  before  whom  all  nations 
shall  be  gathered,  and  the  books  must  be  opened, 
where  every  man  must  read  at  the  same  moment 
his  past  life  and  his  future  destination ;  at  a   mo- 


304  SERMON  XIX. 

ment  also,  when  all  our  prayers,  and  all  our  re- 
morse will  not  change  the  solemn  account. 

The  tremendous  sum  of  our  unworthiness  is 
not  to  be  just  glanced  at  and  forgotten.  It  can- 
not, and  as  God  lives,  it  will  not  be  forgotten, 
though  we  should  continue  to  practise,  to  the  end 
of  a  long  life,  this  same  formality.  The  sins  of 
this  year  are  added  to  the  last,  as  those  of  the 
last  were  to  those  of  the  preceding.  What  then 
is  the  state  of  our  religious  condition  ?  You, 
who  have  lived  twenty,  thirty,  forty  years,  and 
more  in  this  world  of  God's,  who  have  been  sup- 
ported by  him  every  moment,  who  have  nothing 
which  you  have  not  received  from  him,  nothing 
for  which  you  must  not  account  before  his  presence 
hereafter,  think,  I  beseech  you,  of  the  folly  and 
danger  of  longer  neglecting  to  acknowledge  him, 
to  pray  to  him,  to  fear  him,  to  serve  him  with  all 
the  powers  which  he  has  given  you.  If  you  have 
never  seriously  thought  of  this,  think  of  it  now. 
The  ground  on  which  you  stand  is  treacherous  ; 
it  may  in  an  instant  yield  and  plunge  you  into  an 
abyss  of  irrecoverable  sorrow.  Choose  you  this 
day  whom  you  will  serve,  and  presume  not  that 
God's  mercy  will  draw  out  to  an  indefinite  length, 
your  quivering  thread  of  life.  You  that  have 
thought  the  wonderful  gift  of  his  Son  Jesus,  un- 
worthy of  your  attention,  let  not  the  new  year 
begin  without  finding  you  approaching  this  merci- 
ful Saviour.  '  And  when  he  was  a  great  way  off 
his  father  saw  him,  and  had  compassion  on  him.' 


SELF-EXAMINATION.  305 

Those  of  you,  who,  with  a  sincere  faith  in  the 
gospel  of  Jesus,  and  with  a  general  conviction  of 
your  duty  to  live  to  his  honor,  have  discovered 
this  year  great  defects  in  your  services,  and  who 
feel  oppressed  with  a  sense  of  the  little  progress 
you  have  made,  come,  and  let  us  now  determine 
with  full  purpose  of  heart,  on  what ! — Ah  !  the  vast 
field  of  duty  is  so  immense  !  and  yet  if  God  be  for 
us  who  can  defeat  us  ?  Let  us  resolve  then  upon  a 
more  faithful  cultivation  of  our  minds,  more  seri- 
ous reading  and  less  amusement,  more  thought 
and  less  vanity,  more  serious  inquiry  after  truth 
and  less  vain  speculation.  Let  us  sacredly,  unre- 
servedly, and  in  opposition  to  all  the  sneers  of  the 
profligate  part  of  the  world,  resolve  before  God  to 
devote  this  holy  time  to  the  instruction  of  our  fam- 
ilies, and  of  ourselves  too,  if  we  have  not  yet  be- 
gun it.  Let  no  plea  of  business  or  of  pleasure 
prevent  this  employment  of  our  Sundays'  leisure. 
Mark  out  for  yourselves,  and  for  your  children,  a 
course  of  religious  instruction,  and  in  the  fear  and 
love  of  God,  commence  the  great  duty  of  prayer, 
and  persevere  in  it  to  the  end. 

Determine  that  you  will  this  year  look  around 
you  to  discover  where  you  may  retrench  your  un- 
profitable expenses  upon  mere  vanities  and  pleas- 
ures. Let  not  the  means  of  doing  good  accumu- 
late upon  you,  only  to  increase  the  weight  of  your 
condemnation,  as  if  you  were  enriched  only;  to 
swell  an  enormous  treasure,  or  to  fill  a  greater 
space  in  the  eyes  of  an  envious  world.  Be  con- 
39 


306  SERMON  XIX. 

tinually  on  your  guard  against  that  hardness  of 
heart,  which  constant  attention  to  the  secular  em- 
ployments of  life  is  sure  to  produce.  Look  out 
for  objects  of  bounty  and  for  channels  of  benefi- 
cence. Never  imagine  that  you  have  done  your 
duty  while  there  is  a  single  want  of  body  or  mind 
to  which  you  can  have  access,  unrelieved.  Re- 
solve to  relinquish  at  once  any  habits  in  your  do- 
mestic or  public  life,  of  which  your  conscience 
gives  you  a  doubt  of  the  innocence.  Break  oft' 
with  all  the  prudence  in  your  power  any  ensnar- 
ing connexions,  any  unworthy  and  dangerous 
friendships.  Let  not  a  false  shame  prevent  you 
for  a  single  day,  from  giving  up  any  modes  of  life, 
which,  however  popular  or  reputable,  are  inconsis- 
tent with  the  life  of  a  serious  Christian.  Decid- 
edly and  instantly  oppose  any  private  practices 
which  are  not  perfectly  reconcilable  with  the 
laws  of  God,  and  with  domestic  peace  and  purity  ; 
and  take  your  firm  stand  against  the  introduction 
of  any  public  amusements  by  which  the  order  and 
good  habits  of  society  may  be  unhappily  affected. 

Let  not  the  old  excuses  be  again  brought  for- 
ward to  justify  you  in  the  neglect  of  institutions 
which  you  acknowledge  to  be  useful,  and  which 
you  believe  to  be  the  command  of  God.  Reform 
whatever  there  is  to  be  reformed  in  your  atten- 
dance on  public  worship,  and  in  your  observance 
of  the  exercises  of  religion. 

Let  us  begin  the  year  with  an  humble  and  pen- 
itent  acknowledgment   of  our  sins,   defects,  and 


SELF-EXAMINATION.  307 

degeneracies,  and  pray  to  God  for  pardon.  Let 
us  set  out,  with  confidence  in  his  aid,  upon  a  new 
career  of  more  effective  obedience.  We  cannot, 
it  is  true,  resolve  upon  everything  at  once,  our 
deficiencies  and  sins  are  too  numerous  to  be  re- 
formed by  one  act  of  solemn  determination  ;  but 
we  can  all  fix  upon  some  portion  of  character  and 
conduct,  and  thither  bend  our  resolution  ;  and  at 
least  we  can  all  resolve  to  relinquish  any  evil  hab- 
it which  we  are  conscious  of  indulging.  Though 
it  is  dangerous  to  promise  much  that  we  will  do, 
we  can  all  determine  before  God  and  our  hearts, 
what  we  will  abandon. 

But,  my  friends,  what  have  I  been  recommend- 
ing !  Resolutions  for  another  year,  for  the  rest  of 
life,  when  it  may  be,  that  some  of  us  shall  not 
see  another  day  ;  many  of  us,  not  another  year ! 
I  wonder  at  the  temerity,  the  confidence  of  man! 
Spare  us,  good  Lord  !  Cut  us  not  off  in  the  midst 
of  our  days.  Give  us  another  year  that  we  may 
repent  and  serve  thee  better. 


SERMON  XX 


SOURCES  OF  THE  COMMON  MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  GOD. 
Psalms,  L.  21. 

THOU    THOUGHTEST    THAT    I    WAS    ALTOGETHER    SUCH    AN    ONE    AS 
THYSELF. 

Religion,  as  far  as  it  is  in  any  way  distinct  from 
morals,  has  reference  to  God.  If  there  were  no 
God  at  the  head  of  the  universe,  there  could  be 
no  religion,  because  it  is  implied  in  every  defini- 
tion which  can  be  given  of  a  religious  man,  that 
his  conduct  is  governed  by  his  sense  of  God's  ap- 
probation. Of  course,  as  far  as  the  characters  of 
men  differ  who  believe  in  the  existence  of  such  a 
supreme  being,  the  different  ideas  which  they  en- 
tertain of  this  being  must  lie  at  the  root  of  the  di- 
versities in  their  characters.  Hence,  if  you  follow 
men  up  to  their  most  secret  persuasions,  you  will 
find  that  their  notions  of  God's  character  are  vari- 
ously modified.  If  we  all  conceived  of  it  exactly 
alike,  it  would  be  impossible  that  such  varieties 
should  exist  in  our  speculations  and  practice.  It 
becomes,  therefore,  to  every  man,  a  subject  of  im- 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  GOD.  301) 

portant  inquiry,  whether  he  has  not  in  some  man- 
ner figured  to  his  own  mind  a  being  like  himself, 
and  placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  universe,  instead 
of  the  unchangeable  and  perfect  Jehovah. 

It  is  true  that  the  only  ideas  which  we  can  form 
of  the  moral  perfections  of  God,  must  be  original- 
ly derived  from  our  conceptions  of  these  qualities 
as  we  find  them  in  human  nature  ;  that  is,  in  our- 
selves and  others.  Hence  it  follows  that  every 
man's  notions  on  this  subject,  will  be  more  or  less 
accurate,  according  to  the  purity  and  truth  of  his 
moral  ideas  and  sentiments.  For  it  is  only  by  ex- 
alting to  the  highest  degree  of  excellence  those 
qualities  which  we  love  or  approve  in  men,  that 
we  can  conceive  of  God  at  all,  as  a  good  and  moral 
governor.  Hence  he  that  has  no  just  conceptions 
of  the  true  nature  of  moral  excellence,  must  form 
unworthy  conceptions  of  God  ;  and  hence,  too,  it 
naturally  follows,  that  in  proportion  to  the  purity 
of  our  own  minds  will  be  the  justness  of  our 
thoughts  of  our  Maker.  In  this  view  of  the  sub- 
ject it  may  also  be  said,  that  every  man  makes  a 
God  for  himself,  insensibly  degrading  or  dignifying 
the  object  of  his  adoration,  according  to  the  cast 
of  his  own  wishes  or  character.  This  is  a  conside- 
ration fraught  with  the  most  solemn  consequences. 

In  conformity  with  these  remarks,  we  find,  in 
the  history  of  the  world,  the  gods  of  those  nations 
who  have  had  no  revelation,  fashioned  according 
to  the  characters  of  the  times  and  people.  In  the 
rude  and  warlike  ages  of  the  world,  their  gods  were 


310  SERMON  XX. 

as  quarrelsome  as  themselves.  They  were  indeed 
little  more  than  a  race  of  stronger  men,  and  the 
moral  ideas  of  mankind  were  so  few  and  so  imper- 
fect, that  strength  was  the  only  quality  thoroughly 
understood  and  really  reverenced,  even  in  Divinity. 
The  barbarous  nations  of  the  north,  ascribed  to  their 
supreme  divinity  the  most  cruel  and  blood-thirsty 
propensities ;  he  was  appeased  with  the  scent  of 
human  gore,  and  gratified  with  the  sacrifice  of  the 
most  innocent  victims.  As  society  became  more 
luxurious  and  effeminate,  the  gods  were  also  sen- 
sualized and  enervated,  till  at  last,  even  in  the 
times  of  refinement  and  philosophy,  it  was  thought 
the  greatest  perfection  and  felicity  of  the  Godhead 
to  have  no  concern  with  the  affairs  of  this  world, 
but  to  pass  a  life  of  the  most  senseless  inactivity. 
This  was  the  philosophy  of  Epicurus. 

For  these  strange  misapprehensions  of  the  Deity, 
there  is  some  excuse  in  the  want  of  a  written  rev- 
elation, which  should  fully  declare  the  character  of 
God.  The  proofs  of  it  which  are  found  in  the 
works  of  nature,  are  not  easily  apprehended  by  an 
uncultivated  mind.  When  God  was  seen  only  in 
the  clouds  and  heard  in  the  wind,  the  clouds  often 
obscured  his  majesty,  and  the  wind  brought  only 
indistinct  murmurs  of  a  mighty  power.  To  us 
there  is  no  such  apology  ;  and  if  we  think  unwor- 
thily of  God,  it  argues  some  perversion  of  the 
mind,  in  which  we  cannot  be  blameless.  That 
eye  must  be  diseased  which  cannot  now  see  the 
sun  of  righteousness  travelling  in  his  strength  and 
unclouded  in  his  lustre. 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  GOD.  31  1 

It  shall  be  my  object  in  this  discourse  to  inquire 
into  the  sources  of  the  most  common  misappre- 
hensions of  God,  and  to  lead  you  to  examine  your 
own  notions  on  this  subject. 

I.  The  first  source  of  misapprehension,  is  found, 
where  we  should  least  of  all  expect  it,  in  scripture 
itself.  There  are  many  who  form  their  ideas  of 
their  Maker  from  detached  passages  of  the  bible, 
without  consulting  the  general  tenor  of  the  volume. 
They  seize  upon  particular  texts,  and  dwell  on 
them  with  a  kind  of  superstitious  partiality,  as  if 
they  were  glad  to  find  the  picture  of  a  being  such 
as  they  had  feared  or  fancied.  From  the  texts 
which  proclaim  the  mercy  of  God  and  the  extent 
of  the  redemption  by  Jesus,  they  figure  to  them- 
selves a  God  who  is  all  fondness  or  compassion  ; 
who  is  too  gentle  to  punish,  too  kind  to  look  with 
displacency  on  any  of  his  creatures,  how  corrupt 
and  wicked  soever  they  may  be.  Thus  they 
frame,  from  a  few  unconnected  texts,  a  system 
in  which  God  is  introduced  only  to  make  men 
happy  whether  they  are  fit  for  it  or  not,  and  the 
awful  and  pure  Majesty  of  Heaven  is  changed  into 
a  doating  and  foolish  parent. 

Others  seem  to  search  the  scriptures  only  to 
find  proofs  of  arbitrary  power  and  irresistible  de- 
termination in  the  Deity.  To  him  they  ascribe 
unconditional  decrees,  and  to  themselves  an  in- 
vincible fatality  of  action,  which  leave  them  with- 
out blame  or  power  or  accountability.  Destitute 
of  that  spirit  of  devotion  which  a  just  sense  of  our 


312  SERMON  XX. 

dependence  is  calculated  to  preserve,  their  no- 
tions of  God's  government  are  adapted  only  to 
excuse  themselves  in  sin,  or  make  them  presump- 
tuous in  religion.  Because  God  controls  their 
fate,  they  think  that  they  have  nothing  to  do  with 
it ;  and  though  in  the  business  of  the  world  they 
are  as  sensible  as  other  men  that  their  condition 
must  depend  upon  their  exertions,  in  the  affairs  of 
religion  they  are  willing  to  believe  that  everything 
is  fixed,  everything  immutable,  bound  down  in  the 
chains  of  an  unrelenting  fate,  which  leaves  them 
without  the  means  to  conquer  or  to  fly.  '  I  am 
only  what  God  has  made  me,  I  must  be  what  he 
has  determined.'  But  why  do  they  never  recollect, 
that  it  is  his  determination  that  we  should  be  mor- 
al beings,  placed  here  for  probation,  whose  con- 
dition must  depend  always  upon  character  ?  It  is 
only  from  a  strange  partiality  to  individual  texts 
that  we  see  some  men  reposing  in  the  deceitful 
dream  of  an  Elysium  of  universal  and  uncondi- 
tional salvation,  and  others  worshipping  a  God, 
who  looks  with  complacency  upon  the  eternal  and 
unalterable  torments  of  one  half  of  a  race  of  hu- 
man creatures,  whom  he  has  unconditionally  rep- 
robated from  the  beginning  of  time. 

II.  Another  source  of  misapprehension  is  to  be 
found  in  the  partial  views  which  we  take  of  God's 
providence.  There  are  men,  who,  from  the  very 
regularity  with  which  the  universe  proceeds,  con- 
clude against  the  government  of  a  supreme  con- 
troller.    They  have  seen  no  miraculous  interpo- 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  GOD.  313 

sitions,  they  have  witnessed  no  disturbance  of  the 
common  course  of  causes  and  effects.  Hence 
they  conclude  that  God  has  never  interfered  in  the 
quietude  of  nature,  that  the  story  of  miracles  is  a 
fabrication,  and  the  proofs  of  revelation  the  dream 
of  enthusiasts.  They  see,  too,  in  the  world,  the 
judgments  of  God  against  the  wicked  unaccount- 
ably delayed,  and  the  happiness  of  the  good 
strangely  interrupted ;  crimes  triumphing  in  un- 
punished presumption,  and  humility  and  integrity 
groaning  under  the  persecution  of  the  impious. 
All  things,  in  their  estimation,  come  alike  to  all  ; 
and  if  they  admit  the  necessity  of  a  prime  mover, 
they  admit  an  agent  who  is  of  little  more  conse- 
quence in  the  universe  than  the  spring  in  the 
movements  of  a  watch,  which  serves  to  keep  the 
parts  in  motion,  but  which  knows  not  how  irregu- 
larly the  hands  may  point,  or  how  widely  the  ac- 
tion of  the  parts  may  be  disarranged.  They  fond- 
ly imagine  that  what  to  them  appears  confusion 
would  appear  so  to  God,  if  he  observed  it,  and  there- 
fore they  would  place  him  out  of  sight  of  the 
scenes  and  changes  of  this  state  of  things. 

There  is  another  class  of  men,  who  judge  of  the 
character  of  God  from  particular  events  which 
happen  to  themselves  or  others.  Where  their 
thoughts  are  full  of  some  darling  projects,  and 
their  zeal  influenced  by  some  favorite  set  of  opin- 
ions, they  exalt  themselves  into  the  ministers  of 
God's  especial  designs,  and  every  unexpected  oc- 
currence which  favors  their  plans  they  fondly  call 
40 


314  SERMON  XX. 

a  special  interposition  of  his  providence.  They 
think  they  see  the  heavens  opened  and  the  angels 
of  God  ascending  and  descending  to  minister  to 
their  purposes.  They  make  God  a  party  to  their 
passions,  and  think  he  is  altogether  such  an  one  as 
themselves.  They  construe  their  success  into  a 
proof  of  God's  approbation,  and  pronounce  those 
atheists,  who  will  not  discern  the  steps  of  God's 
providence  in  that  little  footpath,  which  their  vain 
imaginations  have  marked  out  for  him.  In  short, 
they  would  place  the  Divinity  within  the  little  cir- 
cle of  their  own  society,  where  he  frowns  or  smiles 
according  to  their  wishes.  Next  to  the  mischief 
of  gross  impiety,  is  the  mischief  of  favoritism  ;  or 
rather  of  superstitious  pretensions  to  the  interpo- 
sitions of  God's  providence. 

There  are  others  who  judge  of  God  from  some 
particular  misfortune  which  has  happened  to 
themselves.  Perhaps  he  has  not  granted  answers 
to  their  importunate  prayers,  and  then  they  think 
him  inexorable,  or  he  has  blasted  their  hopes,  and 
brought  them  down  from  the  proud  eminence  of 
their  prosperous  circumstances,  to  dwell  in  the 
low,  and  damp  vale  of  misery.  There  they  see 
the  Divinity  through  mists  ;  God  is  regarded  with 
fear,   as  the  sun,  in  the  language  of  Milton, 

'  Looks  through  the  horizontal  misty  air, 
And  sheds  disastrous  twilight.' 

Then  they  venture  to  arraign  his  goodness, 
or  imbibe  unworthy  conceptions  of  his  benev- 
olence. They  say  God  has  no  mercy  laid  up 
for  them,  and  they  fall  into  the  most  distressing 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  GUI).  31, 5 

melancholy,  or  the  most  dreadful  impiety  and 
unconcern.  There  are  also  men,  who,  from  a 
long  course  of  remarkable  successes,  or  from 
some  extraordinary  preservations,  seem  to  think 
that  God  has  given  them  a  pledge  of  perpet- 
ual security.  They  believe  in  what  they  call  their 
fortune  ;  as  if  their  Maker  had  left  them  to  some 
tutelary  genius,  or  given  them  a  commission  of  un- 
interrupted good  fortune.  In  the  enlarged  mind  of 
a  Christian  all  these  are  unworthy  conceptions  of 
the  Deity.  He  dares  not  judge  of  the  character 
of  God  from  single  events,  or  from  any  one  confin- 
ed sphere  of  his  operations.  He  knows  these  are 
but  parts  of  his  ways  ;  and  that  a  very  little  por- 
tion is  heard  by  man  of  Him,  in  whose  sight  a 
thousand  years  are  but  as  yesterday  when  it  is 
past,  or  as  a  watch  in  the  night. 

III.  A  third  source  of  our  misapprehension  of 
God  is  to  be  found  in  our  own  peculiar  tempera- 
ment. The  native  cast  of  every  man's  mind  in 
some  degree  tinges  all  his  moral  qualities,  and  the 
same  virtues  and  vices  are  not  precisely  alike  in 
any  human  beings.  Hence,  according  to  our  pre- 
dominant tempers,  will  our  ideas  of  God  be  modi- 
fied, and  we  shall  think  unworthily  of  the  Divinity, 
in  the  same  proportion  that  we  mingle  in  our  con- 
ceptions of  him,  the  peculiarities  of  our  own  affec- 
tions, passions,  and  imperfections.  For  even  the 
best  of  men  must  take  their  notions  of  the  perfec- 
tion of  any  moral  quality  from  that  form  in  which  it 
exists,  however  imperfectly,  in   their  own   minds, 


316  SERMON  XX. 

and  with  this  individual  hue  will  they  transfer  it 
to  the  character  of  God.  Thus  the  Ethiopians, 
it  is  said,  when  they  would  paint  their  gods  in 
the  highest  style  of  beauty,  colored  them  black, 
simply  because  it  was  their  own  native  complexion. 
This  part  of  my  subject,  is,  I  know,  difficult 
and  abstruse.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  define 
those  shades  of  difference  which  exist  in  every 
man's  mind,  and  affect  his  notions  of  justice, 
mercy,  goodness,  and  wisdom.  But  as  far  as  these 
varieties  exist,  are  our  best  notions  of  God  affect- 
ed ;  and  perhaps  we  are  not  sufficiently  on  our 
guard  that  we  do  not  worship  an  idol  of  our  im- 
aginations, when  we  profess  to  worship  the  all-per- 
fect and  unchangeable  Divinity.  Thus  there  are 
some  men  whose  temperament  is  melancholy  and 
whose  religion  comes  to  them  enveloped  in  a  man- 
tle of  funereal  gloom.  They  think  that  God  al- 
ways looks  upon  the  world  as  they  do,  on  the 
darkest  side  ;  and  that  he  can  find  nothing  on 
earth  to  contemplate  with  complacency.  They 
form  to  themselves  a  being,  who  looks  with  abhor- 
rence upon  those  pleasures,  which  they  see  with 
disgust  or  pity,  and  thus,  with  the  sincerest  inten- 
tion of  honoring  Jehovah,  place  him  always  in  a 
light  in  which  they  only,  can  contemplate  him  with 
advantage.  The  mild  cheerfulness  of  the  nature  of 
others,  sometimes  leads  them  to  dress  the  Divinity 
in  smiles.  If  they  are  sensible  themselves  of  the 
purity  of  God's  character,  yet  they  arc  willing  to 
have  in  others,  the  belief  that  he  is  only  love. 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  GOD.  3] 7 

They  rejoice  in  the  happiness  of  God's  creation, 
but  they  forget  that  all  happiness  is  not  virtue,  and 
that  God  cannot  love  those  who  love  not  him,  nor 
make  any  blessed  in  the  enjoyment  of  himself 
against  their  will  and  ruling  passion.  They  forget 
that  it  is  hazardous  to  attribute  to  God  the  weak- 
ness of  their  own  good  nature.  They  cannot  bear 
to  see  others  unhappy,  God  cannot  endure  to  see 
them  unworthy  of  happiness.  The  disposition  of 
the  famous  Genevan  reformer,  that  truly  great  man, 
was  remarkably  stern  and  inflexible.  He  seemed 
to  believe  that  God  pursued  his  own  glory  in  the 
same  way  and  by  the  same  means  in  which  his 
zeal  and  haughtiness  prompted  him  to  pursue  it. 
Hence  the  severity  of  his  system,  the  unrelenting 
attributes  with  which  he  loves  to  surround  his  God, 
and  the  pleasure  with  which  he  continually  dwells 
on  the  sovereignty  of  God,  an  attribute  which 
seems  to  be  in  his  mind  little  else  than  the  un- 
qualified power  of  doing  as  he  pleases.  'Thou 
thoughtcst  {  was  altogether  such  a  one  as  thyself,' 
might  here  be  justly  objected  ;  and  it  has  been 
objected,  I  believe,  with  considerable  effect. 

There  are  other  men,  of  a  natural  timidity  of 
temper,  who  never  consider  God  as  pleased  with  a 
rational  and  manly  piety,  but  who  seem  rather  to 
deprecate  his  displeasure  by  trifling  and  super- 
stitious performances,  such  as  could  be  demanded 
only  by  a  weak  and  capricious  deity.  Their  ser- 
vices seem  to  be  offered  by  way  of  atonement. 
They  put  up  their  prayers  with  punctuality,  rather 


318  SERMON  XX. 

lest  God  should  be  offended,  than  in  the  spirit  of 
true  devotion,  and  though  strictly  conscientious  in 
their  whole  character,  they  do  not  seem  to  have  at- 
tained to  that  state  of  perfect  love  which  casteth 
out  fear.  They  have  not  that  spirit  of  adoption  by 
which  we  may  cry,  Abba !  Father  ! 

IV.  A  fourth  source  of  our  unworthy  concep- 
tions of  the  Deity  is  to  be  found  in  our  wicked  lusts 
and  corrupt  habits.  No  man,  who  is  the  slave  of 
any  favorite  sin,  can  remain  easy  in  the  apprehen- 
sion that  God  regards  him  with  the  same  disap- 
probation that  he  regards  himself.  Hence  he  must 
either  accommodate  his  notions  of  God  to  his  own 
standard,  or  else  he  must  live  in  perpetual  fear 
and  dissatisfaction.  It  is  not  doubtful  which  of 
these  alternatives  he  will  choose.  This  is  the 
secret  of  all  the  atheism  in  the  world.  God  must 
be  dispossessed  of  his  authority  and  the  world 
given  up  to  the  sport  of  human  crimes,  that  these 
men  may  live  securely.  Hence,  if  there  are  any 
notions  of  Deity  which  seem  to  favor  their  irreli- 
gion,  they  easily  find  arguments  in  their  support, 
and  their  understanding  is  sophisticated  by  their 
lusts.  They  greedily  embrace  the  opinion  that 
God,  so  pure,  so  infinite,  so  almighty  as  he  must 
be,  thinks  it  unworthy  of  his  majesty  to  attend  to 
the  minutiae  of  human  conduct.  The  opinion  of 
a  moral  government  of  the  world  they  reject  as 
the  fiction  of  priests.  God  surely  will  not  disturb 
the  dead  silence  of  the  grave  to  awaken  mortals 
like  them  to  retribution  !     God  surely  cannot  feel 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  GOD.  3] 9 

such  an  interest  in  the  concerns  of  this  little  planet, 
this  atom  of  creation,  as  to  think  it  necessary  to 
vindicate  the  honors  of  his  holiness  by  making 
such  an  insignificant  creature  as  I  am,  miserable 
for  my  sins  !  Presumptuous  man  !  It  is  no  greater 
condescension  in  the  Lord  of  innumerable  worlds 
to  stoop  to  observe  your  most  secret  sins,  than  it 
is  for  him  to  receive  the  homage  of  the  seraph 
that  stands  on  the  highest  step  of  his  throne. 
The  darkest  recesses  of  your  lusts  are  to  him  as 
clearly  visible  as  the  lightest  mansion  in  heaven. 
Think,  O  thou  careless  man  !  that  if  a  single  sin 
you  have  committed  were  out  of  his  cognisance, 
the  perfection  of  his  government  would  be  as 
really  impaired,  as  if  the  crimes  of  a  conqueror 
were  unregarded  or  a  world  crushed,  and  he  per- 
ceived it  not.  The  disorder  of  the  universe  would 
be  as  great,  if  you  could  go  unpunished,  as  if  a 
Nero  or  Caligula  had  escaped  his  retribution  ;  as 
if  the  whole  world  of  nature  were  unbalanced, 
and  systems  rushed  together  in  chaos.  And  on 
the  other  hand,  the  equity  of  his  government  would 
be  as  much  impaired,  if  the  sigh  of  a  single  saint 
were  lost  to  his  ear,  his  omniscience  would  be  as 
much  limited  if  a  sinner  repented  and  God  knew 
it  not,  as  if  a  new  sun  were  to  break  out  and  he 
observed  not  its  brightness.  It  is  only  in  the  hope 
of  annihilation  that  God  can  be  safely  disregard- 
ed. And  even  to  that  vacant  gulf  a  ray  of  divine 
power  darts  in,  and  it  is  no  longer  a  void. 


320  SERMON  XX. 

I  close  this  subject,  then,  by  offering  you  the 
following  considerations.  Remember,  that  in  pro- 
portion to  the  purity  of  your  own  hearts  will  be 
the  justness  of  your  thoughts  of  God.  The  more 
like  God  you  become,  the  more — I  would  say  it 
with  reverence — will  you  enter  into  his  character. 
And  without  this  conformity  of  heart  and  conduct 
to  his  will,  your  knowledge  of  the  Divinity  will  be 
nothing  but  a  cold  and  barren  speculation.  To 
what  purpose  is  it  that  you  can  enter  into  all  the 
proofs  of  his  eternity,  omnipotence,  omniscience, 
and  infinity,  or  arrange  a  demonstration  of  God's 
attributes  with  the  utmost  perspicuity  ;  to  what 
purpose  talk  of  him  in  language  worthy  of  his 
greatness,  and  become  eloquent  in  the  praises  of 
Jehovah,  if  you  remain  untouched  with  the  moral 
excellence  of  his  character,  if  God  is  not  the  object 
of  your  love,  if  there  exists  in  your  heart  a  secret 
disgust  at  his  government,  and  an  aversion  to 
his  purity  ?  The  mind  of  such  a  man  is  like  a 
cold  and  empty  chamber  hung  round  with  the 
maps  and  figures  of  the  different  parts  of  the 
earth,  which  he  has  seen  and  known  only  in  these 
delineations ;  regions  of  which  he  knows  no- 
thing by  personal  knowledge,  where  he  has  no 
friends,  no  attachments,  no  hopes,  no  ties  of  in- 
terest. If  God  is  not  our  God,  it  is  of  little  pur- 
pose that  we  believe  that  such  a  being  exists.  But, 
my  friends,  if  your  hearts  are  frequently  in  com- 
munion with  him,  you  will  have  an  eternal  friend 
in  this  awful  being.     If  you  can  enjoy  everything 


MISAPPREHENSIONS  OF  <JOD.  321 

which  you  meet  as  his  gift,  every  creature  in  exis- 
tence will  furnish  you  with  new  proofs  of  his 
goodness.  God  will  enter  into  all  your  thoughts. 
No  event,  however  unexpected,  will  weaken  your 
trust  in  him.  What  you  cannot  now  interpret,  you 
will  believe  contains  a  kind  meaning;  what  you 
fear  you  will  fear  as  a  mark  of  his  displeasure,  and 
in  no  other  view  ;  what  you  suffer,  you  will  suffer 
as  the  instrument  of  his  goodness.  The  changes 
in  the  world,  and  much  less  the  dark  and  the  light 
aspects  of  your  affairs,  will  not  for  a  moment  give 
you  any  misapprehensions  of  your  Maker.  The 
longer  you  live  the  more  will  you  acknowledge  the 
equity  of  his  dispensations,  and  the  more  humbly 
will  you  rely  upon  his  providence. 

If,  then,  you  would  correct  your  false  notions  of 
God  you  must  be  more  intimate  with  him.  Live 
lives  of  habitual  devotion,  and  your  breast  will  be 
the  temple  of  the  Divinity.  He  that  dwelleth  in 
love  dwelleth  in  God  and  God  in  him.  Without 
this  spirit  of  piety,  it  seems  to  me  that  all  our  dis- 
courses, all  our  descriptions  of  Jehovah,  and  in- 
deed everything  relating  to  religion,  must  appear 
to  you  like  the  conversation  of  foreigners,  in  a 
language,  which,  however  familiarized  to  your  ear, 
you  do  not  understand.  Without  the  aid  of  a  de- 
votional spirit,  God  must  be  forever  a  stranger  to 
you.  Oh  !  my  friends,  let  us  beware,  lest  the 
light  which  bursts  upon  the  world  to  come,  reveal 
him  to  us,  not  as  a  stranger  only,  but  as  an  en- 
emy. 

41 


SERMON   XXI 


A  PURE  HEART  AND  BLAMELESS  LIFE  MOST  FAVORABLE  TO 
THE  UNDERSTANDING  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 


John,  VII.  17. 

IF  ANY  MAN  WILL  DO  HIS  WILL,  HE  SHALL    KNOW  OF  THE  DOCTRINE, 
WHETHER  IT  BE  OF  GOD,  OR  WHETHER   I  SPEAK  OF  MYSELF. 

Amid  the  great  variety  of  existing  opinions  on 
the  subject  of  religion  in  general  and  of  Christian- 
ity in  particular,  this  text  often  becomes  the  re- 
fuge of  the  weary  and  distracted  mind;  and  it  is 
also  often  held  out  as  an  encouragement  to  the 
youthful  inquirer,  who  is  beginning  to  seek  with 
anxiety  for  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  The  Chris- 
tian quotes  this  text  against  the  infidel,  when  he  is 
not  willing  directly  to  impeach  his  motives.  The 
theological  polemic  quotes  it  against  his  adver- 
sary, when  he  is  himself  compelled,  by  stress  of  ar- 
gument, to  retreat  from  his  positions  and  shelter 
himself  in  the  goodness  of  his  heart,  rather  than 
in  the  strength  of  his  cause.  The  fanatic  quotes 
it  against  the  man  whom  he  cannot  make  to  feel  as 
he  does,  and  who,  he  is  sure,  therefore,  will  not 
think  with  him.     And,  lastly,  the  man  of  real  can- 


joiin,  vii.  17.  323 

dor  quotes  it,  when,  weary  of  the  war  of  words, 
disgusted  with  the  spirit  of  sectarianism  and  the 
obscurities  of  human  systems,  he  seeks  repose,  for 
himself  and  his  friends,  in  this  merciful  declaration, 
'  If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the 
doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak 
of  myself.' 

The  words  were  addressed  by  our  Saviour  to  those 
incredulous  Jews,  who  had  heard  his  public  teach- 
ings in  Jerusalem,  at  the  feast  of  tabernacles. 
AVe  learn  from  the  evangelist  in  this  chapter,  that 
there  was  at  this  time  much  dissension  among  the 
Jews  respecting  Jesus.  Some  said  he  was  a  good 
man  ;  others  said  nay,  and  maintained  that  he  se- 
duced the  people.  For,  adds  the  evangelist,  no 
man,  not  even  the  friends  of  Jesus,  openly  profes- 
sed his  attachment  to  him,  '  through  fear  of  the 
Jews.'  Then  Jesus  went  up  to  the  temple  and 
taught,  that  is,  in  the  most  public  manner.  The 
Jews,  who  heard  him,  were  astonished  at  his 
preaching,  and  said,  Whence  hath  this  man  any 
knowledge  of  the  sacred  writings,  having  never 
received  the  usual  education  ?  He  has  had  no  in- 
struction in  the  science  of  the  law,  to  which  our 
doctors  are  brought  up  ;  or,  as  we  should  say,  he 
has  never  received  a  professional  education.  The 
language  of  our  English  version,  '  How  knoweth 
this  man  letters,  having  never  learned,'  does  not 
in  this  place  give  the  meaning  of  the  Jews.  Their 
wronder  was,  that  our  Saviour  should  assume  the 
office  of  a  public  religious  instructer,  without  hav- 


324  SERMON  XXI. 

ing  been  brought  up  at  the  feet  of  some  rabbi. 
Jesus  replies  to  this  objection ;  The  doctrine 
which  I  deliver  is  not  mine,  but  His  who  sent  me. 
If  any  one  will  do  the  will  of  God,  he  will  know 
whether  this  doctrine  has  God  for  its  author,  or 
whether  I  speak  of  myself,  and  merely  on  my  own 
authority.  He  who  speaketh  of  himself,  or  on  his 
own  authority  merely,  consults  his  own  glory  ;  but 
he  who  consults  the  honor  of  him  who  commis- 
sions him,  is  true ;  a  teacher  very  far  removed 
from  any  attempt  at  imposture. 

Before  we  proceed  to  state  and  illustrate  the 
doctrine  of  our  text,  we  have  two  preliminary  re- 
marks to  suggest. 

In  the  first  place,  the  text  allows  us  to  conclude, 
that  a  man  without  the  knowledge  of  Christianity,  or 
of  any  other  revelation,  may  yet  be  disposed  to  do 
the  will  of  God.  It  supposes,  that  there  may  exist 
in  the  mind  a  predisposition  to  religious  obedience, 
or  at  least  a  sincerity  and  ingenuousness  of  tem- 
per which  qualifies  some  minds  better  than  others 
for  instruction.  The  disposition  to  which  our 
Saviour  makes  the  promise,  is  that  general  dispo- 
sition of  religious  obedience,  which  certainly  is  not 
entirely  unknown  under  any  dispensation ;  and 
which  may  accompany  that  knowledge  of  God, 
which  we  are  commonly  said  to  derive  from  the 
works  of  creation  and  the  plain  deductions  of 
reason.  The  proffer  of  the  gospel,  therefore, 
presupposes  a  knowledge  of  some  truths  among 
mankind,  and  a  certain  moral   character  in  indivi- 


joiin,  vii.  17.  325 

duals  either  favorable  or  unfavorable  to  its  recep- 
tion. Christianity  does  not  profess  to  give  us  our 
primary,  much  less  our  only  religious  notions. 
Neither  does  it  suppose  every  man  to  be  utterly 
averse  from  all  good,  and  inclined  to  all  evil  and 
that  continually,  till  he  comes  within  its  enlighten- 
ing doctrine  and  sanctifying  influences.  It  suppos- 
es some  ground-work  in  human  nature,  on  which 
the  gospel  is  to  build,  some  previous  moral  capa- 
cities in  a  man  as  necessary  to  the  operation  of 
the  gospel  motives.  It  is  intended,  indeed,  to  re- 
generate the  human  heart ;  but  it  also  supposes 
the  heart  to  be  already  prepared  to  yield  to  its  re- 
generating influence.  In  short,  the  language  of 
the  text  implies  that  we  must  be  inclined  to  do 
the  will  of  God,  before  we  can  receive  the  doctrine 
of  Jesus  Christ  as  the  truth  of  God.  Of  course 
our  disposition  to  do  the  will  of  God  cannot  de- 
pend exclusively  on  our  faith  in  Christ. 

Our  second  remark  is,  that  the  text  gives  to  an 
honest  and  serious  mind  the  liberty  of  judging  of 
the  claims,  and  even  of  the  doctrines  of  Christ. 
That  is,  our  Saviour  does  not  profess  to  bear  down 
the  judgments  of  men  as  to  the  truth,  either  of  his 
pretensions  or  of  his  doctrines,  by  the  mere  force 
of  his  authority.  He  evidently  supposes  some 
previous  knowledge  of  God's  will,  some  original 
truths,  either  of  reason  or  of  revelation,  with  which 
the  professed  communication  from  God  must  not 
be  inconsistent.  The  text  in  fact  implies,  that  in 
every  case  of  revelation  we  have  some  standard, 


326  SERMON  XXI. 

more  or  less  complete,  by  which  we  may  judge 
whether  the  doctrine  delivered,  or  the  pretensions 
made  by  any  one  who  lays  claim  to  divine  author- 
ity, are  to  be  admitted.  Jesus  himself  submitted  his 
pretensions  to  the  scrutiny  of  his  cotemporaries, 
and  of  course  to  the  scrutiny  of  all  men  of  sober 
and  candid  minds.  He  authorises  the  exercise  of 
reason  in  the  case  of  revelation  ;  not  indeed  to 
determine  whether  there  was  a  necessity  for  in- 
struction by  revelation,  for  of  this  God  alone  can 
be  a  competent  judge  ;  nor  to  say  that  the  thing 
is  altogether  unnecessary  and  improbable,  and 
therefore  to  refuse  to  listen  to  the  teacher  or  to 
examine  his  pretensions.  This  very  reason  re- 
quires us  to  listen,  while  it  allows  us  to  judge  of 
the  proofs  of  the  revelation  and  the  conformity  of 
its  doctrines  to  what  we  before  knew  of  God.  It 
by  no  means  allows  us  to  reject  any  truths  as  com- 
ing from  God,  simply  because  they  are  new  and 
unknown  to  us  before,  or  because  they  are  such  as 
we  did  not  discover  or  should  not  have  expected  ; 
but  still,  these  truths,  however  strange,  or  unex- 
pected, or  ungrateful,  must  be  viewed  in  the  best 
light  we  have ;  and  the  text  supposes  that  if  they 
are  from  God,  they  will  certainly  commend  them- 
selves to  the  acceptance  of  every  mind  that  is  dis- 
posed to  do  the  will  of  God.  It  is  possible,  in- 
deed, to  suppose  a  case,  which,  however,  is  not 
likely  to  happen  under  the  government  of  God,  in 
which  an  honest  inquirer  may  at  one  and  the  same 
lime  find  the  external   proof  of  the  teacher's  au- 


joiin,  vil.  17.  ;;j7 

thority  irresistible,  and  the  doctrines  taught  irre- 
concilable to  the  dictates  of  his  best  reason.  In 
such  a  case  the  mind  must  remain  in  suspense, 
either  suspecting  that  it  has  been  deceived  in  its 
examination  of  the  proofs,  or  that  it  does  not  thor- 
oughly understand  the  doctrines.  And  just  in  this 
state  of  indecision,  nothing  is  more  consolatory 
to  the  honest,  or  more  alarming  to  the  disingenu- 
ous, than  the  words  of  our  text. 

We  proceed  now  to  the  doctrine  of  the  text. 
To  every  man,  whether  he  believes  Christianity  or 
not,  it  is  highly  important.  It  includes  two  pro- 
positions ; 

That  our  religious  conviction  of  the  truth  of 
Christianity  very  much  depends  on  the  moral  state 
of  our  minds ; 

That  a  correct  knowledge  of  the  doctrines 
of  this  religion  is  promoted  by  the  practice  of  its 
laws. 

I.  To  some  minds  there  is  nothing  more  offen- 
sive than  to  hear  it  maintained,  that  their  indeci- 
sion or  their  unbelief  on  the  question  of  revelation, 
results  from  the  nature  of  their  habits  of  life  or  the 
prevailing  state  of  their  affections.  Now,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  believer  in  the  gospel  does  not 
think  it  any  reproach  to  his  understanding  when  it 
is  said  that  his  love  of  God  and  goodness  has  bi- 
assed him  to  the  reception  of  Christianity.  This 
is  an  awkward  and  yet  an  unavoidable  state  of 
things,  and  yet  it  results  from  the  very  nature  of 
the  christian  religion  as  a  moral  system. 


328  SERMON  XXI. 

If  Christianity  offered  men  any  temporal  emolu- 
ments or  advantages,  if  it  held  out  any  lure  to  the 
passions  of  the  believer,  we  should  be  more  cau- 
tious in  using  this  language  on  the  subject  of  faith  ; 
because  the  believer  could  never  be  secure  against 
a  retort  in  kind,  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  par- 
ry. But  when  we  look  at  the  doctrine  of  Jesus 
Christ,  presenting  itself  in  all  its  simplicity  and 
purity,  to  counteract  the  influence  of  the  darling 
objects  of  temporal  ambition,  and  the  darling 
passions  of  vain  and  selfish  men  ;  when  we  regard 
its  threats  and  promises,  all  relating  to  the  inner 
man  and  the  future  world ;  when  we  find  it  pre- 
senting itself  to  our  examination  unsupported  ex- 
cept by  its  historical  proofs  and  its  own  internal 
excellency,  we  feel  that  Jesus  has  a  right  to  say, 
Those  who  heartily  embrace  my  doctrine,  such  as 
it  is  in  the  New  Testament,  must  do  it  from  virtu- 
ous motives,  and  those  who  reject  it  are  under  the 
bias  of  some  moral  indisposition. 

When  we  in  imagination  see  the  meek  and  holy 
Son  of  God  in  the  presence  of  his  captious  and 
bigoted  countrymen,  without  form  or  comeliness, 
a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief,  un- 
recommended  by  a  single  circumstance  flattering 
to  the  pride  or  passions  of  his  hearers,  and  unsup- 
ported by  anything  but  the  consciousness  that 
God  was  with  him,  and  appealing  to  nothing  but 
the  proofs  of  divine  power  which  he  exhibited,  and 
the  purity  of  his  life  and  doctrine  ;  when  we  find 
him  able  to  promise  nothing  to  his  followers  on 


JOHN,  VII.  17. 

earth,  and  threatening  them  with  the  afflicting 
consequences  of  their  rejection  of  him  who  would 
save  them  from  their  sins,  when  we  recall  this  pic- 
ture of  Jesus  on  earth,  who  can  refuse  him  the 
right  of  saying  to  the  Jews  and  to  all  mankind,  'Ye 
will  not  come  to  me  that  ye  may  have  life.  For 
this  is  your  condemnation,  that  light  is  come  into 
the  world,  and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than 
light,  because  their  deeds  were  evil.' 

Now,  if  he  could  say  this  with  justice  to  men 
who  had  the  evidence  of  their  senses  to  assist  their 
belief,  we  may  be  allowed  to  say  it  now,  when  the 
evidence  of  the  truth  of  Christianity  is  even  more 
of  a  moral  kind,  than  it  was  in  the  lifetime  of  our 
Saviour  and  apostles.  Do  you  ask  how  this  is? 
I  answer,  that  among  the  first  witnesses  of  the  gos- 
pel, their  faith  must  have  had  less  of  a  moral  char- 
acter the  more  it  had  of  the  evidence  of  the  sens- 
es to  produce  it,  and  the  more  it  was  assisted  by 
the  personal  influence  of  our  Saviour's  presence. 
I  do  not  by  this  mean  to  say,  that  the  moral  de- 
merit of  any  particular  case  of  unbelief,  may  not 
now  be  less  than  in  the  case  of  the  unbelieving 
Jews  ;  but  only  that  the  moral  motives  for  embrnc- 
ing  Christianity  have  now  become  almost  the  only 
ones  that  can  operate,  either  in  drawing  our  at- 
tention to  the  subject  of  revelation,  or  in  affecting 
our  determinations.  Blessed  are  they  that  have 
not  seen  and  yet  have  believed. 

The  doctrine  of  the  text  applies  with  similar  force 
to  all  just  religious  belief,   from  whatever  source 
42 


330 


SERMON  XXI. 


derived.  We  do  not  admit,  indeed,  that  any  reli- 
gion, worthy  of  the  name,  can  exist  at  present 
without  Christianity;  and  surely  there  is  nothing 
of  value  in  any  other  religion,  which  is  not  found 
better  in  Christianity.  Nay,  what  does  the  ex- 
ample teach  us  of  men  in  christian  countries  who 
renounce  their  Christianity  ?  Do  we  not  find  that 
when  their  Christianity  is  abjured  all  their  religion 
goes  with  it?  The  religious  principle,  if  not  ex- 
tinct, becomes  ineffectual,  and  everything  in  mor- 
als and  belief  is  left  loose  and  powerless  in  their 
minds.  The  present  age  is  full  of  examples,  some 
of  them  indeed  on  a  broad  and  national  scale, 
which  ought  to  teach  us  the  full  force  of  the  dis- 
ciples' exclamation,  '  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  ? 
thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life.' 

Still,  however,  the  unbeliever  has  a  right  to  de- 
mand of  us  to  explain,  how  it  is  that  virtue  and 
vice  have  this  operation  on  belief.  He  will  say, 
'  There  is  no  such  mutual  influence  of  belief  and 
practice  as  you  imagine  ;  for  practice  is  depen- 
dent on  the  will,  opinion  is  not ;  character  is  vol- 
untary, belief  is  necessary  ;  belief,  therefore,  must 
always  follow  the  nature  of  evidence  and  the  force 
of  demonstration.  It  is  an  act  of  the  understand- 
ing, which  moral  motives  cannot  or  ought  not  to 
affect.' 

To  all  this  reasoning,  which  seems  so  fair,  we 
will  not  yet  oppose  the  immense  multitude  of  facts 
within  every  one's  observation,  where  we  are  in 
the  habit  of  charging  men  every  day  with  the  ef- 


JOHN,  VII.  17.  331 

feet  of  their  hopes  or  fears,  their  disposition  and 
wishes,  on  their  opinions;  hut  will  content  our- 
selves with  this  general  remark,  that,  whatevei 
may  he  the  truths,  facts,  or  opinions  which  are  of  a 
nature  to  influence  the  temper  and  practice,  it  is  not 
unnatural  to  suppose,  nay,  it  unavoidably  follows, 
that  the  previous  temper  or  character  or  practice 
has  an  influence  on  the  view  which  we  take  of  the 
evidence  of  such  truths  or  facts.  Now,  that  Chris- 
tianity is  a  truth,  fact,  or  opinion  of  this  kind,  no  one 
can  pretend  to  deny ;  and  as  it  regards  the  mere 
explanation  of  this  well  known  phenomenon  of  the 
human  mind,  of  the  reciprocal  influence  of  belief 
and  practice,  it  is  quite  as  difficult  to  explain  how 
opinions  should  influence  character  as  how  char- 
acter should  influence  opinions. 

But  let  us  attend  to  this  subject  more  minutely. 
Here  is  a  young  man,  tempted  to  some  unlawful 
indulgence.  The  question  of  the  truth  of  re- 
ligion, that  is,  of  the  christian  religion,  occurs  to 
his  mind  in  these  circumstances.  He  knows,  per- 
haps, or  he  has  heard  of  the  doubts  of  others, 
whose  powers  of  mind  he  has  reason  to  respect. 
In  the  mean  time,  he  is  called  to  decide  whether 
he  shall,  from  considerations  of  religion,  give  up 
the  offered  pleasure.  On  the  one  hand  he  is  pres- 
sed by  a  strong  temptation  ;  he  must  decide  or 
the  opportunity  of  sin  is  gone.  He  decides,  then  ; 
what?  not  that  religion  is  absolutely  false — no, 
this  is  not  necessary  for  the  occasion — but  that 
it  is  so  doubtful  as  not  to  be  a  reason  with  him  for 


332  SERMON  XXI. 

giving  up  this  indulgence,  which  may  perhaps 
never  again  fall  within  his  reach.  Now  it  is  not 
necessary  to  say  how  unfavorable  must  be  the  ef- 
fect of  this  single  determination  on  his  mind, 
whenever  he  comes  to  reflect  afterwards  in  cooler 
moments  on  the  subject  of  religion.  But  let  such 
deliberations  and  such  judgments  be  often  repeat- 
ed, and  must  they  not  leave  in  the  mind  a  settled 
persuasion  against  religion,  and  of  course  against 
the  consideration  of  it?  They  have  the  same  ef- 
fect on  the  mind,  which  they  would  have  if  made 
in  more  favorable  circumstances,  whereas  in  truth 
they  are  made  in  the  most  unfavorable,  that  is,  un- 
der the  pressure  of  a  present  temptation.  As  this 
process,  which  we  have  described,  takes  place 
when  the  restraints  of  religion  are  most  galling, 
and  at  the  very  time  of  determining  on  the  act  of 
sin,  it  is  easy  to  see,  that  this  balancing  of  reasons, 
and  this  occasional  rejection,  will  often  be  tacit 
and  not  express.  The  conclusion,  though  not  ex- 
pressly drawn,  is  yet  adopted  ;  and  as  it  is  practi- 
cally adopted,  and  we  act  upon  this  hasty  decision, 
it  alienates  the  mind  as  surely  and  as  effectually 
from  religion,  as  if  we  had  formally  reasoned  our- 
selves into  a  conviction  of  its  uncertainty  or  false- 
hood. 

It  should  be  further  remembered,  that  it  is  the 
tendency  of  some  habits,  especially  those  of  sensu- 
ality and  licentiousness,  to  weaken  the  powers  of 
the  understanding,  while  they  thoroughly  corrupt 
the  heart.     The  mind,  which  is  under  the  domin- 


joiin,  vii.  17.  333 

ion  of  lust,  acquires  a  total  inaptitude  to  religious 
considerations.  And  where  this  kind  of  depravity 
does  not  exist,  yet  is  every  species  of  immoral 
habit  unfriendly  to  the  production  of  religious 
faith.  A  man  in  such  circumstances  is  always  rea- 
dy to  magnify  small  difficulties,  to  seize  at  petty 
cavils,  and  to  lay  hold  of  arguments,  which  fall  in 
with  the  course  of  his  vicious  propensities.  In 
short,  the  operation  of  moral  character  upon  spec- 
ulative belief,  is  a  process,  which,  however  difficult 
it  may  be  in  particular  cases  to  detect,  is  yet  in 
some  degree  understood  by  every  man,  and  is 
frequently  acknowleged  by  those  who  have  under- 
gone any  considerable  change  of  religious  opinion. 
If  now  we  are  called  upon  to  show,  on  the  other 
hand,  how  virtue  produces  belief  in  Christianity, 
or  in  Jesus  Christ  as  the  messenger  of  God,  speak- 
ing with  God's  authority,  it  might  be  enough,  per- 
haps, to  answer,  that  it  leaves  the  mind  free  from 
the  weight  of  prejudice,  and  unaffected  by  the 
unfavorable  biasses,  which  we  have  just  now  been 
describing.  But  it  has  also  a  more  direct  influ- 
ence. For  much  of  the  evidence  of  the  gospel 
is  internal.  It  is  addressed  to  the  moral  feelings 
of  the  human  heart ;  and  every  degree  of  pro- 
ficiency in  virtue,  makes  us  not  only  think  more, 
but  more  highly  of  Christianity,  whether  we  yet 
believe  in  it  or  not.  The  discourses  of  Christ 
and  the  writings  of  the  apostles  breathe  such  an 
unction  of  goodness,  that  they  leave  an  impression 
on  the  mind  of  a  good  man,  which  is  more  effectual, 


334  SERMON  XXI. 

perhaps,  in  producing  religious  conviction  than 
any  historical  evidence,  while,  at  the  same  time, 
it  disposes  him  to  receive  without  cavil  the  his- 
torical testimony,  and  corroborates  the  external 
proofs.  In  fine,  every  man  placed  within  the  reach 
of  information,  and  who  will  do  the  will  of  God, 
lays  hold  of  that  branch  of  the  evidence  of  Chris- 
tianity best  suited  to  his  habits  of  thinking,  and 
comes  at  last  to  believe,  that  the  doctrine  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  doctrine  of  God.  It  is  indeed  a 
process  through  which  the  understanding  imper- 
ceptibly passes ;  and  though  many  believe  and  yet 
sin,  and  many  disbelieve  from  other  causes  beside 
immorality  and  irreligion,  yet  the  tendency  of 
virtue  to  faith,  and  of  vice  to  infidelity,  must  be 
admitted  as  the  general  rule  ;  and  so  common  is  it 
that  we  may  be  thought  to  have  spent  too  much 
time  in  illustration  of  our  Saviour's  plain  declara- 
tion. 

II.  There  remains  another  view  of  our  subject 
peculiarly  interesting  to  us,  as  Christians,  who  have 
taken  the  words  of  Christ  and  of  his  apostles  as 
the  source  and  standard  of  our  religious  belief. 
The  declaration  in  the  text,  then,  authorises  us  to 
believe,  in  the  second  place,  that  he  who  will  do 
the  will  of  God  shall  not  only  know  all  that  is 
essential  in  Christianity,  but  that  he  who  prac- 
tices this  religion  most  faithfully  will  understand 
it  best. 

Now  this  could  never  be  truly  said,  if  Chris- 
tianity   were    a   system  of   curious   and   difficult 


joiin,  vii.  17.  335 

truths;  if  it  were  that  incomprehensible  thing, 
which  it  is  sometimes  made  in  the  language  of 
men.  Indeed  this  could  not  be  true,  if  all  that  is 
in  it  necessary  to  salvation  were  not  cither  plain 
or  practical.  If  the  knowledge  of  Christianity 
consisted  in  the  knowledge  of  those  subtle  dis- 
tinctions, which  have  exercised  the  understandings 
of  theological  disputants,  or  if  it  depended  on  the 
settlement  of  the  meaning  of  certain  difficult  texts, 
the  sense  of  which  can  be  known  and  vindicated 
only  by  the  learned,  or  if  it  required  any  peculiar 
comprehension  of  mind  to  receive  correctly  its 
essential  and  distinguishing  dogmas,  our  Saviour 
never  could  have  said,  that  a  mere  disposition  to 
do  the  will  of  God  wrould  qualify  a  man  to  under- 
stand his  religion.  But  this  our  Saviour  has  as- 
serted. For  it  would  be  trifling  or  impious  to 
suppose,  that  our  Saviour  meant  only,  « If  you  will 
do  the  will  of  God,  you  shall  know  that  my  doc- 
trine comes  from  God,'  while  at  the  same  time  he 
secretly  knew  that  the  same  disposition,  without 
some  uncommon  comprehension  or  acuteness  of 
mind,  would  not  enable  them  to  understand  his 
doctrine,  and  judge  of  its  character  and  import- 
ance, so  far  as  it  concerned  themselves.  This 
would  be  in  fact  to  say,  'You  may  know,  that  I 
speak  the  truth,  while  you  shall  not  be  able  to 
understand  me.' 

If,  then,  we  attempt  to  analyse  this  process  of 
mind  as  we  did  the  other,  and  inquire  how  it  comes 
to  pass,  that  a  disposition  to  do  the  will  of  God 


Q3S  SERMON  XXI. 

enables  us  to  understand  the  gospel  as  well  as  to 
believe  in  its  divine  origin,  we  shall  be  compelled 
to  come  to  this  conclusion,  that  a  good  disposition 
can  give  us  no  aid  in  judging  of  the  truth  of  doc- 
trines except  so  far  as  they  are  practical ;  of  course 
we  have  every  reason  to  conclude,  that  everything 
essential  in  Christianity  is  a  practical  truth.  A 
temper  of  obedience  to  God's  will,  however  ex- 
cellent in  itself,  will  give  us  no  aid  on  many  of  the 
topics  of  theological  discussion.  How  can  the 
best  disposition  in  the  world  help  us,  for  instance, 
to  conceive  of  the  distinction  between  person  and 
substance  in  the  trinity  ;  between  imputed  or  orig- 
inal righteousness  or  sin;  between  natural  and 
moral  inability  ?  The  best  disposition  in  the  world 
gives  us  no  light  on  the  subject  of  personal  identity 
and  the  resurrection  of  the  same  body,  no  clearer 
conception  of  the  distinction  between  common 
and  special  grace,  or  justification  by  faith  alone 
and  not  by  that  faith  which  is  alone,  as  polemics 
talk.  It  leaves  us  as  much  in  the  dark  as  ever  on 
many  other  topics  yet  disputed  among  Christians, 
and  it  may  very  well  be  doubted,  whether  the  most 
holy  life,  and  the  most  frequent  supplications  for 
divine  illumination  would  give  the  bewildered 
Christian  much  help  in  understanding  these  and 
many  more  distinctions,  which  might  be  enumer- 
ated. 

But  would  you  know  how  the  love  and  practice 
of  virtue  lead  to  the  right  understanding  of  the 
gospel,  take  up  the  New  Testament  and  open  your 


joiin,  vii.  17.  337 

mind  to  the  devout,  holy,  and  benevolent  spirit, 
which  breathes  in  the  discourses  of  our  Lord  and 
his  apostles.  The  truths,  which  effectually  and 
permanently  influence  practice,  are  few,  but  they 
are  often  repeated.  Like  everything  great  they  are 
as  simple  and  plain  as  they  are  important.  The 
instructions  and  precepts  of  our  Lord  appear  to 
those  who  are  desirous  of  instruction,  altogether 
excellent  and  worthy  to  be  observed.  The  doc- 
trines which  are  according  to  godliness,  are  best 
understood  by  a  godly  man. 

For  instance  ;  there  are  some  of  the  precepts 
of  our  Lord,  which,  in  the  eyes  of  the  world, 
appear  doubtful  and  unreasonable.  The  good 
man,  who  would  know  whether  they  are  real- 
ly excellent  and  worthy  of  God,  makes  the  ex- 
periment of  them  in  his  own  conduct.  Thus  he 
finds  that  it  is  true  wisdom  to  forgive  rather  than 
to  resent,  and  that  it  is  much  more  easy  to  be 
humble  than  to  be  vain  ;  and  thus  he  understands 
the  christian  doctrine  of  forgiveness  and  humility. 
He  finds  by  experience  the  folly  of  unreasonable 
anxiety,  the  vanity  of  earthly  attachments  and  pur- 
suits, and  how  much  better  it  is  to  trust  in  the 
Lord,  than  to  lean  to  our  own  understandings,  and 
thus  comprehends  the  doctrines  of  providence  and 
of  faith.  He  is  brought  down  by  affliction,  and 
understands  the  doctrine  of  the  life  to  come,  and 
every  day  which  revives  his  self-examination  and 
repentance,  makes  him  sensible  of  the  worth  of 
the  doctrine  of  pardon  brought  by  Jesus  Christ. 
43 


333  SERMON  XXI. 

As  he  reads  the  scriptures  with  a  pure  and  honest 
intention,  not  only  do  the  grace  and  glory  of  our 
Saviour's  character  open  more  and  more  upon  his 
mind,  but  he  also  feels  the  force  and  discerns  the 
divine  origin  of  our  Saviour's  teaching.  The  rays 
of  christian  truth,  like  the  light  of  heaven,  fall 
most  abundantly  on  the  eye  that  is  directed  up- 
wards. As  his  mind  is  free  from  that  exclusive  at- 
tachment to  particular  systems,  by  which  many 
ingenuous  intellects  are  cramped  or  reduced,  and 
as  he  regards  religious  truth  only  in  its  relation  to 
practice,  it  is  enough  for  him  to  find  that  a  parti- 
cular explication  of  a  theological  point  is  not  of 
any  moral  value,  to  believe  that  it  may  safely  be 
disregarded  as  no  part  of  the  revelation  of  God. 

There  is,  then,  this  further  account  to  be  given 
of  the  superior  knowledge  of  a  good  man  in  all 
the  essential  truths  of  Christianity,  that  he  reads 
the  scriptures  with  impartiality,  honestly  desirous 
of  ascertaining  what  the  Lord  God  would  have 
him  to  do.  It  is  previously  to  be  expected,  that 
he  who  is  most  desirous  of  obeying  and  of  imitat- 
ing God,  will  be  most  likely  to  ascertain  those 
truths  which  really  bear  the  true  stamp  of  divinity. 
If  we  once  admit,  then,  that  Christianity  is  a  reli- 
gion for  practice,  and  that  a  good  man  is  not  infal- 
lible in  the  interpretation  of  every  part  of  scripturey 
it  follows,  that,  to  answer  the  promise  in  the  text, 
it  must  be,  that  those  mistakes  into  which  it  is 
possible  for  a  good  man  to  fall,  relate  to  subjects 
which  do  not  belong  to  the  essence  of  Christianity. 


joiin,  vii.  17.  3$g 

Farther,  if  we  believe  in  the  good  providence 
of  God,  extending  to  all  mind  as  well  as  to  matter, 
or  in  the  real  though  imperceptible  aid  of  his  spir- 
it, we  cannot  doubt,  that  he  who  ingenuously 
seeks  and  diligently  obeys  the  truth  as  far  as  he 
discovers  it,  will  be  ultimately  led  into  every  ne- 
cessary article  of  faith.  '  The  meek  thou  wilt 
guide  in  judgment ;  the  meek  thou  wilt  teach  thy 
way.'  He  who  is  willing  to  learn,  is  commonly 
taught  ;  and  he  who  is  disposed  to  obey  God,  may 
depend  upon  it,  that  he  does  not  break  any  of 
God's  commandments  by  disbelieving  a  doctrine 
which  he  cannot  find  in  the  instructions  of  Christ 
and  his  apostles.  On  the  other  hand,  let  it  not  be 
forgotten,  that  obscurity  and  incapacity  of  mind 
are  infallibly  promoted  by  the  prevalence  of  un- 
worthy passions  and  the  force  of  sinful  habits. 
As  they  did  not  like  to  retain  God  in  their  know- 
ledge, says  the  apostle,  God  gave  them  up  to  an 
undiscerning  and  injudicious  mind ;  and  when 
speaking  of  the  corruptions  which  should  find  their 
way  into  the  christian  church,  the  same  apostle 
says,  the  man  of  sin  shall  come  with  all  deceivable- 
ness  of  unrighteousness,  because  they  received 
not  the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they  might  be  saved. 

Once  more  ;  if  we  believe  the  words  of  our  Sav- 
iour in  the  text,  it  is  fair  to  conclude,  that  every 
man  who  will  do  the  will  of  God  is  much  more 
sure  of  the  truth  by  his  diligent  study  of  the  scrip- 
tures in  general,  or  even  of  the  words  of  Christ, 
than  he  can  be  made  by  any  of  the  declarations  of  a 


340  SERMON  XXI. 

church  professing  itself  infallible,  or  by  any  of  the 
compends  of  doctrines  framed  by  art  and  man's 
device.  Of  course,  then,  it  should  never  give  a  pi- 
ous and  humble  mind  a  moment's  uneasiness  that  it 
cannot  bring  its  faith  to  any  one  of  the  popular  stan- 
dards ;  for  if  the  truths  which  we  firmly  believe, 
are  fewer  than  are  required  by  the  impositions  of 
men,  yet  if  our  creed  is  the  result  of  a  fair  and  ra- 
tional study  of  the  scriptures,  unbiassed,  as  we  can 
perceive,  by  any  improper  considerations — the  man 
who  is  conscious,  I  say,  of  this  state  of  mind,  need 
be  under  no  alarm  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul  as 
far  as  belief  can  affect  his  salvation.  His  great 
anxiety  should  be  to  act  up  to  the  light  he  has  re- 
ceived, and  faithfully  to  fulfil  the  extent  of  his 
duties  ;  for  such,  God  be  thanked  !  is  the  inti- 
mate connexion  of  all  doctrines  and  duties,  that 
the  man  who  religiously  fulfils  one  branch  of  know- 
ledge or  practice,  will  have  gone  very  far  to  the 
observance  of  the  whole. 

I  will  conclude  the  subject  with  a  simple  reca- 
pitulation of  those  conclusions  which  our  text  has 
suggested  to  us. 

We  have  concluded,  then,  that  a  man  may  be 
seriously  disposed  to  do  the  will  of  God,  before  he 
has  had  knowledge  of  the  christian  revelation,  and 
of  course,  there  is  something  in  human  nature  on 
which  Christianity  may  be  built.  We  have  seen 
also,  that  the  truth  of  his  claims  and  the  nature  of 
his  doctrines  are  submitted  by  our  Saviour  himself 
to  the  judgment  of  unperverted  reason. 


JOHN,  VII.  17.  341 

We  have  seen  how  virtue  produces  belief,  and 
vice  unbelief  in  the  authority  of  Christ  or  in  the 
christian  revelation,  and  we  know  that  he  who  best 
practises  Christianity  will  best  understand  it ;  and 
that  all  the  truth  which  is  essential  in  Christianity  is 
that  which  a  mind  disposed  to  do  the  will  of  God 
cannot  fail  to  receive  by  the  study  of  the  scriptures. 
God  giveth  to  a  man  that  is  good  in  his  sight,  wis- 
dom, and  knowledge  ;  and  may  God  grant  that  the 
eyes  of  our  understanding  being  enlightened,  we 
may  understand  what  is  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord. 


SERMON  XXII. 


THE  DISAPPOINTMENTS  AND  UNCERTAINTIES  OF  LIFE. 

ECCLESIASTES,  I.     14. 

I    HAVE    SEEN    ALL,    THE    WORKS   THAT  ARE    DONE  UNDER  THE  SUN  ; 
AND  BEHOLD  ALL  IS  VANITY  AND  VEXATION  OF  SPIRIT. 

There  are  some  maxims  of  practical  morality, 
which  are  so  common  and  so  familiar  to  every 
man's  experience,  that  it  seems  idle  to  tell  what 
every  one  knows,  and  superfluous  to  prove  what 
it  is  impossible  to  doubt.  But  the  effect  of  moral 
maxims  is  produced,  rather  by  placing  them  in 
new  and  striking  aspects.  Among  those  truths, 
which  all  men  believe,  but  which  few  practically 
feel,  may  be  mentioned  the  utter  uncertainty  of 
human  life  and  all  its  expectations  and  enjoy- 
ments. The  experiments  which  prove  this  fact, 
have  been  making  ever  since  the  world  was  made  ; 
and  not  an  individual  has  entered  on  the  stage  of 
life  and  passed  through  the  common  career  of 
worldly  probation,  who  has  not  been  sooner  or  lat- 
er willing  to  confess  with  Solomon,  '  Vanity  of 
vanities,  all  is  vanity.' 


THE  DISAPPOINTMENTS  OP  LIFE.  g  \.$ 

There  is  a  spirit  of  dissatisfaction  pervading  this 
whole  book  of  Ecclesiastes,  from  which  our  text 
is  taken,  which  renders  the  perusal  of  it  painful 
and  melancholy.  The  royal  author,  in  the  course 
of  his  luxurious  life,  had  drained  every  source  of 
pleasure,  till  satiety  had  succeeded  enjoyment.  He 
had  decked  himself  in  every  flower  that  grew  by 
the  walks  of  life,  and  worn  them  till  their  colors 
had  faded,  and  their  perfume  had  been  exhaled. 
He  had  intoxicated  himself  with  every  variety  of 
sensual  gratification,  till  awaking  at  last  from  his 
dream  of  delight,  he  found  himself  sick  at  heart, 
and  his  spirits  sunk  within  him  to  a  stagnant  level 
ofdiscontent. 

Solomon,  indeed,  was  now  suffering  the  misery 
of  disappointment.  He  had  been  disappointed, 
not  of  obtaining  the  means  of  enjoyment  in  any 
particular  instance,  but  he  was  blasted  with  ex- 
cess of  pleasure.  He  had  collected  around  him 
all  the  means  and  appendages  of  enjoyment,  but 
the  substance  had  escaped  him.  The  ingenuity 
and  the  patience  of  his  servants  had  been  ex- 
hausted in  contrivances  of  new  pleasures  for  the 
monarch.  He  had  tried  mirth,  and  it  was  mad ; 
wine  and  it  was  folly.  '  I  made  me,'  says  he, 
'  great  works ;  I  builded  me  houses ;  I  planted  me 
vineyards;  I  made  me  gardens  and  orchards;  I 
planted  trees  in  them  of  all  kinds  of  fruit ;  I  made 
me  pools  of  water  ;  I  got  me  servants  and  maidens, 
and  had  servants  born  in  my  house  ;  also  I  had 
great  possessions  of  great  and  small  cattle,   above 


344  SERMON  XXII. 

all  that  were  in  Jerusalem  before  me ;  I  gathered 
me  also  silver  and  gold,  the  peculiar  treasure  of 
kings  and  of  the  provinces  ;  I  got  me  men  and 
women  singers,  and  the  delights  of  the  sons  of  men, 
as  musical  instruments,  and  that  of  all  sorts.  Then 
I  looked  on  all  the  works  that  my  hands  had 
wrought,  and  on  all  the  labor  that  I  had  labored  to 
do,  and  behold  all  was  vanity  and  vexation  of 
spirit,  and  there  was  no  profit  under  the  sun.' 

And  this  man,  who  had  but  to  wish,  and  the 
means  of  enjoyment  were  collected  around  him, 
who  but  stretched  out  his  hand,  and  pleasures 
dropped  into  it ;  this  great  monarch  found,  after 
all,  that  in  point  of  actual  happiness,  the  differ- 
ence was  but  trifling  between  him  who  obtained 
all,  and  him  who  obtained  nothing  of  what  he  de- 
sired on  earth. 

It  may  not  be  unprofitable  to  employ  a  short 
portion  of  our  time  in  contemplating  the  disap- 
pointments and  uncertainties  of  our  life  on  earth, 
that  we  may  learn  something  more  of  the  great 
art  of  contentment,  and  limit  our  expectations  on 
this  side  the  grave. 

We  will  consider,  first,  the  disappointment  of 
early  hopes  and  expectations,  and  secondly,  the 
uncertainty  of  life  and  its  actual  enjoyments. 

I.  The  disappointment  of  early  expectations. 

When  the  curtain  of  life  is  first  drawn  up,  a 
thousand  incompatible  objects  of  pleasure  strike 
the  eye  of  the  inexperienced  spectator,  and  he 
forms  at  once  a  thousand  inconsistent  wishes  and 


THE  DISAPPOINTMENTS  OF  LIFE.  345 

impatient  desires.  lie  takes  all  the  show  of  hap- 
piness, also,  for  reality,  and  as  objects  of  pleasure 
first  present  themselves  to  him,  he  discovers  no- 
thing but  their  beautiful  colors,  and  till  he  has 
grasped  them  he  does  not  suspect  that  they  have 
a  sting. 

There  are  some  men  who  seem  bom  into  a 
world  made  on  purpose  to  receive  them.  As  they 
grow  up  into  life,  all  about  them  is  softness  and 
security.  If  they  fall,  they  fall  upon  down  ;  when 
they  stand,  they  lean  upon  the  arms  of  affection  ; 
they  seem  to  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  gather  the 
rosebuds  before  they  wither,  for  all  the  delights  of 
life  are  provided  to  their  hands.  Send  one  of  these 
favorites  of  fortune  out  into  the  world  to  expati- 
ate in  the  fulness  of  pleasure.  Let  him  not  know 
miscarriages.  Let  tomorrow  be  with  him  as  this 
day  and  even  more  abundant.  Yet  all  the  expec- 
tations of  this  favorite  child  of  luxury  are  utterly 
defeated.  And  how  is  this  ?  He  finds,  that  he 
has  lived  too  fast.  In  a  few  years  he  has  exhaust- 
ed the  pleasures  which  might  have  been  economi- 
cally diffused  through  three  score  years  and  ten; 
and  he  retires,  sick  of  that  entertainment  of  life, 
which  others  are  just  beginning  to  taste,  and  cries 
out,  '  All  is  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit.' 

If  such  is  the  fate  of  those  who  seem  born  to 
set  trouble  at  defiance,  what  shall  we  say  of  the 
vast  number  who  struggle  to  reach  those  gifts  of 
Providence,  from  which,  by  their  situation  in  life, 
they  are  placed  at  a  distance  ?  We  find  some  men 
44 


346  SERMON  XXII. 

laboring  for  comfortable  establishments  in  life, 
and  we  see  not  why  their  chance  of  success  is  not 
originally  as  good  as  that  of  other  competitors  for 
this  world's  goods.  But  unforeseen  accidents 
cross  their  plans.  Sometimes  their  imprudence, 
sometimes  their  neglect,  sometimes  their  very  hon- 
esty defeats  them;  and  from  some  strange  defect, 
they  toil  without  profit,  and  every  new  attempt  to 
rise  only  serves  to  sink  them  lower. 

The  competitors  for  honor  are  yet  more  exposed 
to  disappointment ;  and  even  the  fond  hope  of 
useful  distinction  and  mental  influence,  is  extreme- 
ly delusive  and  uncertain.  Opportunities  of  im- 
provement which  we  had  anticipated,  never  pre- 
sent themselves ;  and  the  long  expected  leisure 
for  study  retreats  before  us,  like  the  horizon. 
Sometimes  our  early  labors  are  lost  because  mis- 
directed. Sometimes  our  intellectual  treasures, 
by  a  total  revolution  in  public  sentiment,  are 
rendered  useless.  Perhaps  the  faculties  of  the 
mind  are  prematurely  worn  out  by  excessive  ex- 
ertion, the  mind  itself  crushed  by  its  own  acquisi- 
tions, and  left  without  memory  and  without  judg- 
ment, a  prey  to  all  the  miseries  of  a  wandering 
imagination.  Perhaps — but  why  should  I  multiply 
conjectures  to  swell  the  list  of  disappointments? 
Why  should  I  search  for  the  chances  of  failure, 
when,  even  if  you  should  succeed  in  all  your 
worldly  projects  and  in  every  single  object  of  your 
wishes,  you  will  find  at  last,  that  happiness  is  not 
here  ? 


THE  DISAPPOINTMENTS  OP  LIFE.  .; )  , 

13ut  it  is  not  the  expectations  of  the  young 
only  that  are  so  fallacious.  We  find  the  infirmities 
of  old  age  assailing  men,  while  they  are  projecting 
plans  for  many  distant  years.  After  having  given 
up  the  bustle  of  active  life,  and  while  expecting 
to  enjoy  the  quiet  pleasures  of  an  old  age  spent  in 
the  society  of  children  and  friends,  the  senses 
begin  to  fail  us,  we  can  hardly  distinguish  the 
countenances  that  once  gave  us  pleasure,  our  dull 
hearing  refuses  to  distinguish  the  voices  that  we 
love,  and  we  grow  tiresome  to  those  who  are  wil- 
ling to  amuse  us.  Sometimes  the  very  children 
on  whom  we  relied  for  the  comfort  of  our  declin- 
ing years,  prove  our  severest  afflictions.  They 
are  unfortunate,  and  the  aged  parent  is  involved 
in  their  disasters;  they  are  vicious,  and  he  is  left 
to  weep  over  them.  Or,  if  such  great  evils  as 
these  are  by  God's  good  providence  averted,  yet 
the  recollection  of  the  daily  diminishing  sum  of  our 
pleasures,  and  the  perpetually  intruding  thought 
of  living  beyond  the  wishes  of  those  around  us, 
of  filling  places  which  others  are  waiting  to  oc- 
cupy, are  sufficient  to  teach  us,  that  the  season  of 
hope  ought  to  be  over  with  us,  and  that  nothing 
remains  but  to  suffer,  since  we  can  no  longer  act, 
for  '  by  faith  and  patience  we  may  yet  hope  to 
inherit  the  promises.' 

In  contemplating  these  disappointments,  we  can 
hardly  refrain  from  complaint  and  despondency. 
Two  considerations  have  suggested  themselves  to 
my  mind  which  serve  to  account  for  this  state  of 
things,  and  to  condemn  our  repinings. 


348  SERMON  XXII. 

The  first  is,  that  the  inconsistency  of  our  pur- 
suits and  expectations  is  the  chief  cause  of  our 
disappointment.  It  is  of  the  utmost  consequence 
that  we  should  attain  to  just  notions  of  the  human 
mind,  and  not  vex  ourselves  with  fruitless  wishes, 
and  give  way  to  groundless  and  unreasonable  dis- 
content upon  the  non-attainment  of  incompatible 
pleasures.  The  child  of  fortune,  if  he  chooses 
to  exhaust  all  his  sources  of  pleasure  at  once,  has 
no  reason  to  complain  that  he  does  not  afterwards 
enjoy  the  benefit  of  novelty  or  variety.  He  must 
not  suppose,  that  he  can  partake,  at  the  same  time, 
the  ease  of  the  man  who  has  everything  provided 
for  him  without  labor,  and  the  sweet  satisfaction 
that  follows  the  success  of  toil  and  the  conquest 
of  difficulties.  And  if  he  chooses  to  waste  in  a 
few  years  the  pleasures  which  might  be  economi- 
cally distributed  through  a  long  life,  he  must  not 
complain  that  he  at  length  suffers  the  misery  of 
having  nothing  to  enjoy. 

But  you  complain  that  you  are  disappointed  in 
the  attainment  of  those  very  things  which  belong 
to  your  course  of  life.  But  what  is  the  reason  ? 
You  have  attempted  to  unite  incompatible  advan- 
tages. You  have  wished  to  attain  extent  and 
depth  of  acquirements,  professional  distinction 
and  general  literature,  taste  amid  the  drudgery  of 
learned  labor,  public  consequence  and  the  private 
acquisition  of  rare  and  curious  knowledge.  You 
have  no  right  to  complain  that  you  cannot  join  to- 
gether inconsistent  acquisitions. 


THE  UNCERTAINTIES  OF  LIFE.  349 

The  man  of  stern  virtue  suffers.  He  is  perse- 
cuted, he  is  banished,  he  is  forgotten ;  or  he  is 
unknown,  he  is  reduced  to  want,  or  he  is  always 
struggling  with  poverty.  All  this  he  might  have 
saved  with  the  sacrifice  of  his  honor,  his  integrity, 
his  faith,  or  his  religion.  But  why  should  he  mur- 
mur, while  he  retains  that,  which  he  acknowledges 
to  be  better  than  all  other  advantages? 

The  old  man  must  not  complain  of  disappoint- 
ment, because  he  cannot  enjoy  in  age,  the  plea- 
sures of  youth.  It  is  impossible  to  have  at  the 
same  time  the  satisfaction  of  looking  back  upon  a 
life  that  is  past,  and  the  anticipation  of  many  years 
to  come.  But  your  wealth,  you  say,  does  not  re- 
ward you,  now,  when  you  most  expected  to  enjoy 
it.  Be  content  with  the  satisfaction  you  had  in 
acquiring  it.  Your  children,  on  whom  you  have 
bestowed  so  much  affection  and  indulgence, 
pierce  your  heart  through  with  many  sorrows. 
But  if  you  would  not  submit  to  the  pain  of  correc- 
ting them,  to  the  labor  of  giving  them  principles  of 
virtue  and  religion  ;  and  if,  to  spare  them  and  your- 
self from  trouble,  you  left  them  to  themselves,  be 
not  surprised  that  you  must  now  suffer  from  this 
neglect.  But  you  see  nothing  in  the  world  to  come 
which  gives  you  consolation.  Ah  !  this  isthe  nat- 
ural consequence  of  having  put  off  the  thoughts  of 
it  till  these  last  moments.  Be  not  surprised  that 
you  cannot  reconcile  these  incompatibilities.  You 
have  had  what  you  sought  supremely  on  earth  ; 
do  not  think  it  strange  that  you  have  no  treasures 
in  heaven. 


350  SERMON  XXII. 

Beside  the  want  of  moderation  and  consistency 
in  our  expectations,  another  cause  of  the  disap- 
pointment of  early  hopes,  is  to  be  ascribed  to  the 
folly  of  our  choice,  arid  the  unsatisfactory  nature 
of  the  objects  of  human  pursuit  in  themselves.  If 
we  will  not  submit  to  be  instructed  by  the  experi- 
ence of  ages,  we  must  make  the  experiment  for 
ourselves,  and  have  no  right  to  complain  of  disap- 
pointment. It  is  unquestionably  certain,  that  no 
real  and  permanent  satisfaction  is  to  be  found,  ex- 
cept in  the  favor  of  God,  and  the  hope  of  another 
life,  founded  in  virtue,  integrity,  and  piety.  But 
you  have  chosen  wealth,  rather  than  virtue.  If, 
after  enjoying  it,  you  are  satisfied  of  its  incompe- 
tency to  your  happiness,  though  you  may  have  suf- 
fered thereby  a  great  disappointment,  it  is  an  in- 
valuable lesson,  and  the  discovery  is  an  ample  re- 
compense. You  have  tried  sensual  pleasures. 
They  have  wounded  you  deeply  ;  but  you  have  no 
right  to  complain,  no,  not  even  if  God  should  not 
afford  you  time  to  profit  from  your  dear-bought  ex- 
perience. You  have  enjoyed  all  the  honors,  which 
men  could  bestow  upon  you,  and  now  you  are  dis- 
gusted, and  sick  of  your  elevation.  Is  this  the 
fault  of  your  Creator  ?  You  have  lived  only  for 
yourself,  in  a  selfish,  narrow  sphere.  Are  you  to 
complain  that  you  have  no  friends,  and  that  you 
are  destitute  of  that  peace  and  harmony  of  mind 
which  belong  to  the  active,  the  pious,  and  the 
generous  ?  The  world  passeth  away,  and  the 
lusts  thereof.     You  would  not  listen  to  the  word 


THE  DISAPPOINTMENTS  OF  LIFE.  35J 

of  God,  and  the  lessons  of  experience  ;  if  you 
have  found  out  your  mistake,  make  haste  to  re- 
trieve it,  and  if  it  be  not  too  late,  try  the  plea- 
sures of  religion  and  active  virtue,  and  you  will 
not  be  disappointed. 

II.  We  proposed,  in  the  second  place,  to  consid- 
er those  real  goods  which  we  actually  possess,  and 
the  uncertainty  of  life  itself. 

There  are  few  men  who  do  not  possess  some 
real  advantage  peculiar  to  themselves,  in  which 
they  would  be  losers  in  changing  conditions  with 
others.  Some  are  in  possession  of  firm  health, 
some  of  a  cheerful  disposition.  Some  are  happy 
in  the  abundance  of  their  friends,  others  in  being 
free  from  enemies.  Every  man  has  some  peculi- 
arity of  good  fortune,  as  we  call  it,  of  which  he  is 
willing  to  be  proud,  and  others  to  be  envious.  It 
seems  superfluous  to  illustrate  the  assertion,  that 
the  best  of  these  possessions  are  precarious,  and 
I  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  appeal  to  the  common 
experience  of  all. 

There  have  been  those  whom  you  have  loved,  in 
the  full  enjoyment  of  health,  that  real  blessing  • 
whose  breasts  were  full  of  milk,  and  whose  bones 
were  moistened  with  marrow ;  whose  eye  was 
beaming  with  lustre,  and  whose  muscles  were  full 
of  strength.  You  have  left  them  a  few  short 
years.  On  your  return,  you  have  hardly  known 
their  emaciated  features,  you  could  not  recognise 
their  tottering  steps  and  feeble  voices.  '  When 
God  with  rebukes  doth  chasten  man,  he  inakcth 
his  beauty  to  consume  away  like  a  moth.' 


352  SERMON  XXII. 

You  have  seen  those  to  whom  misfortune  might 
look  up  as  to  objects  whom  she  could  not  reach, 
and  even  envy  had  acquiesced  in  their  greatness 
and  security.  In  a  moment  you  have  seen  them 
brought  down  to  the  common  crowd  of  the  de- 
pendent and  the  miserable.  You  have  seen  men 
in  the  full  enjoyment  of  reputation,  carried  along 
with  the  gale  of  popular  favor  in  the  sight  of  ad- 
miring spectators.  In  an  instant  it  dies  away ; 
their  full  blown  honors  sink,  and  they  are  heard  of 
no  more.  The  distinction  founded  on  genius  and 
learning  seems  at  first  to  promise  greater  security. 
The  changes  and  shocks  of  matter,  cannot,  you 
think,  reach  the  mind.  Oh!  would  it  were  so. 
Yet  we  have  all  seen  the  memory  lose  its  power, 
and  the  senses  that  minister  to  it,  decay,  and  the 
fancy  quenched  in  the  sorrows  of  age.  A  sudden 
attack  of  disease,  in  the  very  strength  and  vigor  of 
our  faculties,  deranges  all  the  fine  structure  of  the 
mind,  and  fatuity  occupies  the  seat  where  genius 
was  enthroned. 

You  have  seen  the  instability  of  friendship  and 
the  loss  of  the  dearest  social  pleasures.  It  is  the 
condition  on  which  we  are  allowed  to  make  friends, 
that  we  should  be  willing  to  part  with  them. 
Sometimes  we  lose  their  support  before  they  leave 
us.  The  arm  on  which  we  have  long  leaned,  sud- 
denly withers,  and  we  are  obliged  to  become  sup- 
porters in  our  turn.  Sometimes  the  love  of  many 
years  is  lost  by  a  misunderstanding,  which  our  in- 
genuity finds  it  impossible  to  explain,  or  our  meek- 


THE  UNCERTAINTIES  OF  LIFE.  353 

ness  to  reconcile.  And  who  of  you  has  not  found, 
that,  when  you  have  had  the  happiness  to  travel 
on  towards  the  close  of  life  with  the  friend  of  your 
youth,  or  the  children  of  your  hopes,  the  grave 
parts  you  at  last — and  you  have  felt  that  affliction 
the  hardest  to  support,  which  you  ought  to  have 
been  all  your  life  preparing  to  bear  ?  After  all 
this,  need  I  prove  to  you  the  uncertainty  of  life  ? 
I  ask  you  to  think  only  how  many  you  have  follow 
ed  to  the  grave.  Consider  how  large  a  portion  of 
that  intelligence,  which  is  daily  poured  in  upon  us 
to  gratify  the  natural  curiosity  of  the  mind,  con- 
sists of  the  narrations  of  death  ;  and  the  death,  too, 
not  of  those  who  have  reached  the  common  term 
of  human  life,  not  of  those  who  have  died  gently 
and  peaceably  in  their  beds,  not  of  those  who  have 
sunk  to  the  grave  with  unperceived  decay,  but 
deaths,  sudden,  violent,  unexpected,  every  one  of 
which  invites  us  to  look  at  ourselves  and  ask,  Why 
was  that  man  taken  while  I  am  left  ?  '  O  God, 
have  mercy  on  the  generations  of  men,  for  they  are 
passing  away.' 

But  is  there  then  nothing  permanent  on  earth  ? 
My  friends,  I  know  of  nothing  in  the  universe  per- 
manent, but  God.  God  is  from  everlasting  to 
everlasting,  and  no  man  is  secure  but  he  who  loves 
God,  and  is  loved  by  him.  Can  you  for  a  moment 
think,  that  this  precariousness  is  too  great,  when 
you  see  how  confidently  and  immoderately  attach- 
ed so  many  yet  are  to  these  transitory  possessions, 
and    to   a   delusion,   yet  existing  and  increasing, 

45 


354  SERMON  XXII. 

which  all  these  admonitions  cannot  cure  ?  Can 
you  think  this  uncertainty  too  great,  when  you  see 
how  proud  men  are  of  their  short-lived  acquisi- 
tions, how  vain  of  their  precarious  accomplish- 
ments, how  envious  of  another's  flourishing  wealth, 
how  discontented  with  their  lot,  how  unprepared 
for  changes  and  reverses,  how  much  afraid  to  die  ? 
Is  it  for  us  to  complain  of  the  condition  of  our 
existence,  when  it  has  yet  taught  us  so  little  con- 
fidence in  God,  the  only  rock  of  trust;  when  we 
have  yet  to  learn  that  there  is  but  one  possession 
which  is  eternal,  and  that  is  virtue  ;  one  source  of 
happiness  which  disappointment  and  death  cannot 
reach,  and  that  is  the  favor  of  God  ? 

Do  you  say,  that  the  picture  which  we  have 
given  of  human  life,  so  full  of  disappointment  and 
uncertainty,  is  too  discouraging  ?  True,  my  friends, 
it  may  be  the  dark  side,  but  it  is  not  therefore  the 
less  true,  and  it  may  be  of  great  use  occasionally 
to  contemplate  it. 

Finally  ;  if  it  be  asked,  why  is  all  this  uncertainty 
permitted  under  the  government  of  a  benevolent 
and  unchangeable  Being,  the  only  answer  is,  that 
the  present  state  can  only  be  considered  as  a  state 
of  probation.  The  most  gay  and  thoughtless 
creature,  when  he  looks  out  upon  the  state  of  man- 
kind, cannot  avoid  the  conclusion,  that  the  world 
is  not  upon  the  whole  a  place  of  happiness.  There 
is  too  much  misery  everywhere  in  view,  and  more 
which  is  out  of  the  sight  of  him  who  will  not  look 
for  it,  to  allow  us  the  belief  that  God  intended  man 


THE  UNCERTAINTIES  OF  LIFE.  355 

for  happiness  here,  or  that  lie  lias  placed  us  in  a 
state  of  reward.  Nay,  every  man's  own  heart  an- 
swers the  question  ibr  himself,  and  at  the  same 
time  suggests  the  suspicion,  that  the  answer  is  not 
very  different  throughout  the  world.  And  besides 
this  answer  of  every  man's  own  experience,  when 
he  finds,  from  the  observation  of  past  ages,  how 
much  of  pain,  sorrow,  disease,  and  disappoint- 
ment, has  always  attended  mankind  and  seems  in- 
separable from  their  nature,  the  conclusion  is  as 
strong,  that  this  world  was  not  intended  to  be,  as 
that  it  is  not,  a  place  of  absolute  happiness  ;  for 
if  this  was  the  intention,  it  has  been  universally 
defeated. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  a  place  of  misery. 
The  evil  that  exists,  does  not  appear  to  be  the  ob- 
ject of  contrivance.  On  the  contrary,  everything 
we  see,  tends  to  counteract  and  correct  the  misery 
which  actually  exists.  If  this  were  really  the 
place  of  punishment  for  a  fallen  race,  there  is  an 
extraordinary  want  of  contrivance  in  the  tenden- 
cies to  pain,  and  in  the  distribution  of  suffering. 
If  God  were  really  punishing  us  here,  would  he 
have  given  us  so  many  hopes,  anticipations,  and 
actual  delights,  as  well  as  alleviations  ?  If  he  had 
intended  to  make  us  miserable,  could  he  have 
made  this  life  a  blessing  in  the  opinion  of  so  many — 
which  opinion  is  happiness — a  blessing  which  it  is 
so  very  hard  to  relinquish  ?  Nor  could  he  have 
endowed  creatures  whom  he  was  punishing,  with 
that  wonderful  part  of  their  constitution,  the  pow- 


356  SERMON  XXII. 

er  of  habit,   which   infallibly  diminishes  evils  by 
their  continuance. 

It  is,  if  possible,  still  more  clear,  that  this  world 
is  not  a  state  of  retribution.  In  the  language  of 
Solomon,  '  all  things  come  alike  to  all ;  there  is 
one  event  to  the  righteous,  and  to  the  wicked;' 
and  in  the  distribution  of  good  and  evil,  there  is 
no  proportion  exactly  observed  between  ill  desert 
and  punishment,  good  desert  and  reward.  So 
different  is  it  from  a  state  of  equitable  retribution, 
that  one  of  the  principal  sources  of  the  strong 
desire,  the  fond  hope,  the  longing  after  another 
state,  arises  from  the  persuasion  that  some  kind 
of  retribution  is  just  commencing  in  some  cases, 
but  left  very  imperfect  in  all,  so  that  some  other 
state  must  be  admitted  for  the  accomplishment  of 
God's  equitable  intentions,  otherwise  all  that  we 
have  discovered  is  not  merely  imperfect,  but  su- 
perfluous, unsatisfactory,  and  purely  embarrassing. 

There  remains,  therefore,  but  one  answer  to  our 
question,  which  is,  that  ours  is  a  state  of  probation. 
By  this  we  mean  that  it  is  a  state  of  trial  and  disci- 
pline, preparatory  to  something  further;  a  state 
in  which  moral  agents  are  to  be  formed  to  active 
and  passive  virtue,  and  in  which  moral  qualities 
arc  to  be  produced,  exercised,  and  matured,  with 
a  view  to  some  future  condition.  This  account 
of  human  life,  is  the  only  one  which  can  be  re- 
conciled with  the  appearances  of  the  world  ;  the 
only  one  which  either  answers  or  silences  the  cap- 
tious and  curious  inquiries,  which  are  perpetually 


THE  UNCERTAINTIES  OF  LIFE.  357 

recurring  to  the  mind  of  man,  with  relation  to  the 
government  and  goodness  of  God.  For  when  it 
is  once  understood,  that  the  present  is  only  a  great 
theatre  of  preparation  or  of  trial,  it  is  folly  to  ask 
Why  was  there  not  less  uncertainty  and  disappoint- 
ment, because  it  is  just  as  easy  and  rational  to 
ask,  Why  was  there  not  more  ?  If  you  assert  that 
less  would  have  been  sufficient  to  answer  every 
purpose  of  probation  and  moral  discipline,  I  may 
ask,  How  much  less?  And  why  may  not  beings 
placed  in  a  condition  less  probationary  than  ours, 
inquire  with  equal  reason,  Why  were  we  not  creat- 
ed more  provident,  more  secure,  more  perfect,  and 
more  exalted  ? 

My  christian  friends,  after  this  view  of  human 
life,  can  you  think  this  your  abiding  place  ?  Have 
you  found  here  enough  to  satisfy  the  desires  of 
souls  immortal  like  your  own  ?  No,  I  cannot  con- 
sent to  place  you  with  the  beasts  that  perish.  I 
cannot  endure  that  you  should  think  the  miseries 
and  disappointments,  the  doubts  and  vicissitudes, 
or  even  the  enjoyments  of  this  life,  are  all  that 
belongs  to  the  existence,  of  which  God  has  put 
you  in  possession.  Go  to  the  gospel  of  his  Son. 
Man  there  appears  a  more  glorious  creature,  the 
child  of  an  everlasting  Father  in  Heaven,  who 
gave  his  Son  to  die  that  he  might  live  forever. 
Make  that  your  guide  through  these  disappoint- 
ments and  uncertainties,  and  all  is  clear  and  full 
of  encouragement.  Use  this  world  without  abus- 
ing it.     Weep  as  though  you  wept  not.     Rejoice 


358  SERMON  XXII. 

as  though  you  rejoiced  not,  and  though  the  fashion 
of  it  passeth  away,  you  may  have  a  building  of 
God  ;  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in 
the  heavens. 


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